Recharge Those Batteries

Earlier this month our team had the great pleasure of coming together for our annual franchise retreat. This year’s Retreat was in St. Augustine, FL. The weekend started with a group dinner at Beaches of Vilano. After that, it was to the historic downtown area where many of the local drinking establishments were visited.

The next day started with a historical Segway tour of the city, which was awesome. Did you know there were pyramids in St. Augustine? What about the smallest street? Did you know they still have a pay phone that is operative? Only one of our team members have ever been on a Segway prior to that Saturday morning but after a tad bit of practice, we were all pros by the end. There was that one incident where Terrence crashed but that’s what happens when you try checking your email while on the Segway, LOL.

After the tour, some food and a little rest and relaxation and time at the beach. That night we had our second group dinner at A1A Ale Works and that place was amazing, highly recommend. Unfortunately by the time our large group sat and dined, we missed out on mini golf after dinner because they closed already. All that trash talking for nothing. It was a great weekend for the whole team and we all look forward to 2020’s retreat at the UF vs FSU football game in Tallahassee, FL.

Warmest regards,
Beau Charlet

Greetings to everyone who may be reading! I operate the Gainesville office, which opened on April 1, 2019. I would like to take this time and express how exciting it has been expanding the Accurate Serve brand in the Gainesville area and neighboring counties. The Gainesville office serves all counties in the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union) along with Putnam County, which is in the 7th Circuit. Each of these counties require a motion and order to serve non-United States District Court documents, excluding subpoenas, within their borders. But no worries! Each Accurate Serve office has a motion and order template that we can promptly provide to you for filing with the court.

As a reference, please note that the following is a list of all Motion and Order counties in the State of Florida: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Flagler, Gilchrist, Holmes, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, Union, Volusia and Washington. As a company dedicated to serving clients in a constantly changing profession, we strive to make this part of your work life as easy as possible by providing you with the peace of mind that your documents are in expert hands. I am looking forward to working with you in the very near future!

– Jared Williams

Need our help?
Call (352) 553-2009 or
Email jared@accurateservegainesville.com

June 2019 Job Count – 4,702

Average Number of Days from Receiving Paper to Paper Being Served* – 5.34

*This includes jobs that may be on hold or waiting for new info.  There is no way to take those jobs out of the calculation.  So, if a job is placed on hold for 2 weeks, that’s 14 days on that job which factors in to this average. So, we’re even better than what the eyes see, LOL. Some papers get served same day, some next day and some take multiple attempts/addresses to effect service. All we do all day and every day is serve papers. We’re good at it and we love what we do. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to continue to serve your papers.

Trademark Registered 

As we just passed the mid-way point of our 10th year in business, we continue to strive for 100% customer satisfaction. Serving your papers quickly and accurately is our number one concern. From e-filing to new technology to House Bill 91, Accurate Serve® stays committed to improving our service to better serve you.

Well, another way we can improve our organization is to strengthen it to it’s core. So, we are happy to say it is official. On July 2, 2019, The US Patent Office approved the registered trademark for Accurate Serve®.

So, what’s the difference between the “™” and the “®”?

The “®” means that trademark has been registered with the government body in that county, so in this case, the U.S. The “™” means the trademark is in use by a company but not registered yet with the government.

Why is having the “®” important?

• Communication is Key – Having the  “®” lets clients know who they are dealing with. You can expect a a level of consistency when using a franchise system like Accurate Serve® and our unparalleled communication.
• Take That, Rewind it Back – Having the  “®” allows potential returning clients to recount on the service they received prior from an Accurate Serve® office and that positive experience helps to solidify the experience.
• Stability – We have been at this for 10 years and each year we add more offices, serve more papers and we love it.  By registering our trademark, you know we’ll be here at least another 10 years.

We love what we do. We are good at it. We are educated, licensed, appointed, certified, registered and always available to serve your papers.

Warmest regards,
Beau Charlet

We are in the heat of summer! July brings in some of the hottest days of our year here in Florida which results in many of our part time residents heading back to their northern addresses, or maybe even out of the nation. What does this mean for your case and your service of process?

Once you have sent us the job and we have ruled out their local address our team has the ability to go to the next step for you. What if you don’t have their second address? Let us help locate it for you by running a skip trace. Once we have the second address we have a network of servers throughout the nation that work with our team on a regular basis to provide the best possible service. If they are residents of another country, still no problem! We have successfully served around the world by Private Process as well as The Hague Convention. No matter the location of service or the number of addresses to attempt, our team can handle the process far and wide and keep you updated on all the steps along the way.

Last week I had the Privilege of being a vendor at the Paralegal Association of Florida Treasure Coast Chapter Summer Seminar. It was a fantastic turn out with nearly 60 paralegals in attendance. I can not be more thankful to President Kristen Remling for this opportunity as well as all of the Paralegals who attended and showed my family a very warm welcoming. Marketing Director Avery Rose and Meaghan Muscato are looking forward to the next event to attend and show our support for PAFTCC. Our team looks forward to the opportunity to earn your business! Knock knock knock…. You’ve been served!

Need our help?
Call (772) 236-7214 or
Email brandon@accurateserveportstlucie.com

June 2019 Job Count – 4,176

Average Number of Days from Receiving Paper to Paper Being Served* – 4.8

*This includes jobs that may be on hold or waiting for new info.  There is no way to take those jobs out of the calculation.  So, if a job is placed on hold for 2 weeks, that’s 14 days on that job which factors in to this average. So, we’re even better than what the eyes see, LOL. Some papers get served same day, some next day and some take multiple attempts/addresses to effect service. All we do all day and every day is serve papers. We’re good at it and we love what we do. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to continue to serve your papers.

Florida House Bill 91 Has Been Signed

Over the past several years, our state association (FAPPS) has been working our our lobbyist to amend some of the verbiage in the Statutes that pertain to service of process. While some of the changes are minimal, such as changing the wording from may to shall in 48.021, some changes are pretty big.

One of the big changes is that Process Servers are now allowed to electronically sign Returns of Service. The Statutes previously allowed only the Sheriff to utilize an electronic signature, but now the Sheriff and Private Process Servers can electronically sign Returns. At Accurate Serve, we are ahead of the game in technology and with our Servers using their smart phones and App to update jobs, they will soon be able to electronically sign their Returns from the field on their mobile devices. So, our FL Clients should be getting those returns even quicker in the very near future.

See below for a few highlights of the changes and see attached for the complete Bill.

48.031 (5) – The statute now reads you must place the date and hour of service, your initials or signature, and, IF APPLICABLE, your identification number.

Summary: This change was created to address issues in counties where process servers are serving by Motion and Order (or out of state) and do not have an identification number. It also re-affirms that you only have to place the required information on the first page of the process served. This does not change the requirement to follow the Rules of Civil Procedure to also include the date and hour of service on the original process filed with the return of service or affidavit.

48.21 Return of Service – updated to clarify language that all pleadings and documents served must be listed on the return of service. Electronic signatures are now permitted.

Reminder: If your jurisdiction requires a notarized affidavit you will not be able to utilize an electronic signature. This also includes counties where the process server is serving by Motion and Order. Rules of Civil Procedure require that an affidavit is required when serving by Motion and Order.

Warmest regards,
Beau Charlet

Timeless Classics and Summer Serving 

Welcome to the Jungle – A day in the life of a process server in central Florida.

Schools Out for the Summer – This means our odds increase in residential serves with co-residents 15+ being home and able to accept service.

Double Trouble – May 31st started 100 days of summer heat.  It goes without saying that with the rising temperature comes an increase in not only tourists but also auto accidents and DUIs.  Subpoenas to be served upon law enforcement officials through the department liaison must be effected 5 days prior to the court date. This does not include the date of service, court date, weekends and federal holidays in which the courts are closed.

Rock You like a Hurricane – June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season.  Even inland in The Sunshine State we are effected by hurricanes.  Torrential rain and poor weather conditions means possible delays in service.  Let’s not forget FEMA holds on foreclosures.

Don’t Stop Believing –  Every service is a journey. Florida is notoriously known for snowbirds. It’s possible that the defendant has migrated back north for the summer. We have a network of servers with which we have established relationships to better handle all of your nationwide needs. Don’t have their summer address?  In efforts to locate the defendant or witness we can run a skip trace to produce any other addresses available on record.

Taking Care of Business,

Your Accurate Serve Ocala Team

Need our help?
Call (352) 278-2188 or
Email kevin@accurateserveocala.com

May 2019 Job Count – 4,549

Average Number of Days from Receiving Paper to Paper Being Served* – 4.09

*This includes jobs that may be on hold or waiting for new info.  There is no way to take those jobs out of the calculation.  So, if a job is placed on hold for 2 weeks, that’s 14 days on that job which factors in to this average. So, we’re even better than what the eyes see, LOL. Some papers get served same day, some next day and some take multiple attempts/addresses to effect service. All we do all day and every day is serve papers. We’re good at it and we love what we do. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to continue to serve your papers.

The 2019 NAPPS Convention found it’s way to Orlando, FL this year. The Accurate Serve team was out in full force. The Convention kicked off Thursday May 2 with the annual NAPPS golf tournament. Accurate Serve put together one fierce foursome: Beau Charlet, Brandon Muscato, Brennan Fogarty and Derek Keating (see pic, pictured from left to right). The best ball tournament was won by this AS team with an amazing score of -10 under par. After golf, there was a networking lunch followed by bag stuffing. Our golf team stuffed over 200 bags full of our SWAG items (On that note, if you need any SWAG items for your office or for some type of event, please reach out to your local AS Owner/Operator). Thursday night concluded with more networking and BINGO. Although no AS Rep won anything at bingo, it was a great time.

The Convention continued on Friday with the start of the annual meetings. At the end of the day, there was a networking reception/cocktail party followed by a poker tournament. We had 2 AS Reps enter the poker tournament, Beau Charlet and Josh Kes. Both played well and made it to the final table (started with 10 tables of 5-7 at each table). Josh came in 5th place and Beau took home the 1st place trophy and cash money, LOL. Saturday included the continuation of the annual meeting, election of officers and annual banquet/awards ceremony. Sunday switched from NAPPS to FAPPS as FAPPS held it’s quarterly board meeting. We had at least one AS Rep in attendance Thursday – Sunday.

It was a great time had by the AS family as we came together to represent and market the Accurate Serve brand. Networking with colleagues from all over the US (and Canada) was a great experience. While we are able to keep your papers in house in pretty much all of FL, we do utilize the services of a lot of the people we were able to meet and socialize with that week. And these are also people who use our team to serve their papers in FL. Every single person we spoke with at the Convention knew of Accurate Serve and has either used us or we have used them to get papers served. That’s just awesome!!

Warmest regards,
Beau Charlet

Usually when talking with people and you mention that you are a process server, a lot of people tend to ask if it’s just like what the guy does in the movie, Pineapple Express. They sometimes ask if we ever disguise ourselves as someone to try to serve a paper when you can’t get someone served. What they don’t know is, you cannot conceal your identity as a process server when serving a paper. When you are serving a paper at someone’s residence, you always have to be prepared. Yes, Google maps can give you an idea of the address but it can not prepare you for the potential encounters when you arrive there. Here are some things we run in to when serving a paper.

Gated communities: by law, the security guard at the gate is supposed to let us into the community. Some are unfamiliar with the law so we have to quote the statutes to them. This usually does the trick but if they still do not budge, we have to call the non-emergency dispatch for the local law enforcement to help educate and assist us onto the property.

Gated fences: by law, we CAN NOT jump a locked gate or open a mail box. What most of us tend to do is honk the horn several times, leave a note, look up the property appraiser to see if the subject owns the property or speak to a neighbor.

Loose Dogs: Yes, dogs. If we are on someone’s property and the dog is unchained and seems aggressive, we usually honk the horn until the residents come out or report back to the client telling them it is unsafe to serve the paper since there is an aggressive dog running around the property.

Business at a residence: When serving a business at a residence, please remember to address the documents in c/o someone at the house. Sometimes when serving someone who has roommates, they do not know the business once we mention it but once we mention the business owner or registered agent’s name, they confirm with us that the subject lives at the address. We cannot stress how important this is and how much time it saves from going back out to the address again.

Video Doorbells/Surveillance Cameras: It’s a 50/50 with these. When people expect that they are being served, sometimes they work with us in regards to telling us when to come back through the video doorbell. We also had instances where we had interactions with the subjects we are serving and they are uncooperative with us through the video doorbell telling us to get off their property.

There are other things we come across when serving papers but these are some of the things we usually run across and we figured we could give you a quick insight of what we encounter. Let us know what you want to hear about and we will gladly include it in the following newsletter.

– Joshua Kes

Need our help?
Call (386) 569-8475 or
Email josh@accurateservedaytonabeach.com

April 2019 Job Count – 4,561

Average Number of Days from Receiving Paper to Paper Being Served* – 4.53

*This includes jobs that may be on hold or waiting for new info.  There is no way to take those jobs out of the calculation.  So, if a job is placed on hold for 2 weeks, that’s 14 days on that job which factors in to this average. So, we’re even better than what the eyes see, LOL. Some papers get served same day, some next day and some take multiple attempts/addresses to effect service. All we do all day and every day is serve papers. We’re good at it and we love what we do. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to continue to serve your papers.