It's best to give your process server as much information as possible about a defendant's travel plans so there is more time and opportunity to attempt service. When the subject is about to leave Orlando for Thanksgiving, assign the job now, share every address and schedule detail you have, and plan coordinated attempts before departure day.
At Central Florida Process and Investigations, we have served the Orlando legal community since 1989. Reach out to our office or call (407) 495-1550 to get a job assigned today.
Why Does a Holiday Week Compress the Service Window?
Because the subject's departure, not the court calendar, sets the real deadline. A short holiday week can leave only a couple of workable days before the person you need is gone.
Many travelers leave early in Thanksgiving week, and many offices close or thin out by midweek. If the hearing is set at the Orange County Courthouse the following week, the papers may need to be served before the subject boards a plane or hits the turnpike. Waiting until Monday to assign the job can cut those chances short.
What you know about the trip matters more than usual. Tell your process server when the subject plans to leave, where they are going, and whether anyone stays behind at the house. Add any work schedule, vehicle description, or recent photo you have.
With that information, an experienced process server can build a plan around the travel date instead of reacting to it. That plan is the difference between a completed serve and a note that the subject was out of town.
How Do Coordinated Home and Work Attempts Raise the Odds?
Attempts at both home and work, at different times of day, cover the most ground before departure. One address tried once is rarely enough during a holiday week.
Home attempts work best early in the morning and in the evening, when people are packing and running errands. Florida law also allows substitute service at the subject's usual place of abode. Under Florida Statutes section 48.031, papers can be left with a person residing there who is 15 or older, after informing them of the contents.
The workplace is the other half of the plan. Section 48.031 also requires an employer, when contacted by a process server, to permit service in a designated area. For a subject who works in an office park in Lake Nona or downtown Orlando, a midday attempt can reach them before the drive home and the drive out of town.
Timing the attempts together matters. If home fails in the morning, work gets the next try before lunch, not the next day. That pace keeps the window open as long as possible.
When Does Investigative Support or Surveillance Help?
Investigative support helps when you are not sure where the subject is staying, working, or heading. Confirming whereabouts first means fewer wasted attempts.
Skip tracing gathers as much information about a subject as possible, including current addresses and contacts. That can confirm whether the address on file is still where the person actually lives, which matters for any substitute service.
Surveillance takes it a step further. We offer mobile and fixed surveillance, along with vehicle registrant searches. Watching a residence the morning before a planned trip to Orlando International Airport can confirm the subject is home and create a clean opportunity for service.
If the subject leaves before service happens, the job does not have to end. We serve in Seminole, Orange, Osceola, and Volusia counties and handle service in other counties within Florida and nationwide. Knowing the destination lets you plan the next step quickly. Learn more about our investigation and surveillance services.
Why Does a Clean Affidavit Still Matter When Service Happens Fast?
A fast serve only helps if it holds up. The return of service must be complete and accurate, or the service can be challenged after the holiday.
Florida Statutes section 48.21 requires the return to note the date and time the process came to hand, the date and time it was served, the manner of service, and the name of the person served. Florida courts have held that leaving out required facts can invalidate service, although the return can be amended on application to the court.
That matters even more on a rushed job. A missing detail or a vague description of a substitute serve gives opposing counsel a reason to move to quash, which costs you time you do not have.
We complete your proof of service promptly and return it to you or the court. Do not wait for the subject's suitcase to hit the trunk. Send the papers today, call (407) 495-1550, or contact us to assign the job.