Florida’s 2025 “glitch bill” makes targeted but important fixes to Florida’s already overhauled service of process statutes, with most changes taking effect October 1, 2025 and affecting how businesses and individuals are served in state court cases. These refinements make technical compliance more demanding and increase the value of having experienced litigation counsel structure and challenge service of process from the outset.
Background: From 2022 overhaul to 2025 “glitch bill”
In 2022, the Legislature comprehensively rewrote Chapter 48 to modernize and simplify Florida’s service of process framework, with those changes taking effect January 2, 2023. After two years of real‑world use, a Business Law Section task force reviewed case law and practitioner feedback and proposed a 2025 “glitch bill,” codified as Chapter 2025‑13, to clear up confusion and close gaps in the 2022 legislation.
The glitch bill has two key effective dates: a “safe harbor” for earlier service that became law immediately on April 29, 2025, and the balance of the amendments that apply to service made or effectuated on or after October 1, 2025. For litigants filing or defending civil cases in late 2025 and beyond, that means service questions now span three regimes—pre‑2023 law, the 2022 overhaul, and the 2025 refinements—each with its own rules and traps.
Safe harbor for service between 2023 and April 29, 2025
Conflicting decisions had emerged over whether the 2022 legislation applied to pending cases when the cause of action accrued before January 2, 2023, creating uncertainty about the validity of service and even existing defaults. To resolve this, the glitch bill adopts a “safe harbor” for service made in pending cases between January 2, 2023 and April 29, 2025: service in that window is valid if it complied either with the 2022 Chapter 48 amendments or with the prior law that would otherwise have applied.
This safe harbor greatly reduces the risk that judgments or defaults from that period will later be undone solely because counsel picked the “wrong” statutory scheme where both were arguably in play. At the same time, litigants now must evaluate service challenges by carefully matching dates of accrual, filing, and service against the safe‑harbor period and the applicable version of Chapter 48.
Extended registered office hours and service on registered agents
Process servers and litigators reported difficulty serving small businesses under the 2022 framework when registered offices were rarely open during the limited prior time window. The glitch bill responds by extending required registered office hours: Florida Statute section 48.091 now requires registered offices to be open on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., expanding the opportunity for in‑person service.
The amendments also clarify that an individual registered agent can be served wherever that person can be found (not just at the registered office), and that entity registered agents may be served in the same manner as other business entities. For businesses, HOAs, and management companies, this increases exposure to effective service—and for plaintiffs, it offers more predictable paths to getting a summons properly served without repeated failed attempts.
Service on businesses in receivership
The 2022 legislation broadened section 48.101 regarding dissolved entities but did not squarely address service on active businesses in receivership. The 2025 glitch bill closes that gap by expressly allowing service on active businesses in receivership to be completed by serving the court‑appointed receiver.
This matters for creditors, commercial landlords, construction claimants, and association litigants who encounter an entity placed into receivership mid‑dispute, because service on the wrong party can delay relief or undermine the court’s jurisdiction over key claims. Properly targeting the receiver streamlines litigation and avoids expensive jurisdictional fights.
Refined substituted service and Secretary of State procedures
Feedback from the Secretary of State’s office showed repeated problems with substituted service documents that incorrectly listed the Secretary as the opposing party and flooded the office with later electronic filings, even though the Secretary is only an acceptance agent. The glitch bill therefore requires that a summons for substituted service be directed to the defendant “c/o Florida Secretary of State,” rather than naming the Secretary as the adverse party, and clarifies that the Secretary is not to be served with later pleadings once substituted service is complete.
The bill also tightens and clarifies section 48.161 governing substituted service, expressly confirming that due diligence in attempting personal service is always required before invoking substituted service and detailing what must appear in the affidavit of compliance. Courts are now guided to treat substituted service as ineffective unless all statutory requirements are met—completed Secretary of State service, notice to the defendant, and a compliant affidavit—raising the stakes for getting each step precisely right.
Long‑arm statute fix for certain nonresidents
In simplifying Florida’s long‑arm statute in 2022, the Legislature inadvertently omitted explicit reference to certain individual nonresidents who had been Florida residents at the time of the alleged misconduct, creating concern that some wrongdoers could fall outside the statute’s reach. The 2025 glitch bill revises section 48.181 to restore and clarify coverage for these former residents engaged in business activities connected to Florida.
For plaintiffs, this helps ensure that those who leave the state after engaging in relevant conduct can still be reached by valid service under Florida’s long‑arm provisions, preserving claims that might otherwise be jurisdictionally vulnerable. For defendants, it underscores the need to analyze both personal jurisdiction and the mechanics of service under the corrected statutory language.
Why these changes raise the stakes for proper service
With the safe harbor, extended office hours, receivership provisions, refined substituted service requirements, and corrected long‑arm reach, service of process in Florida is more complete but also more technical than ever. Litigants must track multiple effective dates, select the proper statutory route, and build records that demonstrate due diligence, statutory compliance, and—where relevant—fit within the safe harbor period.
Errors today can mean more than just delay: they can support motions to quash service, vacate defaults, or challenge jurisdiction months or years into a case, often after substantial fees and resources have been expended. In an environment where Florida courts are simultaneously tightening case‑management rules and pushing for faster, more efficient dockets, botched service can quickly collide with scheduling orders, limitations defenses, and sanctions risk.
How Southern Atlantic Law Group helps plaintiffs
For plaintiffs—businesses, HOAs and condo associations, contractors, and individuals—Southern Atlantic Law Group’s litigators integrate the 2025 glitch bill into service strategy from the outset of a case. That includes:
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Evaluating whether service falls within the 2023–April 29, 2025 safe‑harbor window and how that affects the choice of statutory framework.
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Planning personal, substitute, or long‑arm service to satisfy the updated due‑diligence and affidavit requirements, and leveraging expanded registered‑office hours and receivership provisions to avoid avoidable missteps.
The firm’s attorneys also anticipate and pre‑empt common challenges by documenting diligent search efforts, tailoring summonses correctly “c/o Florida Secretary of State” where applicable, and ensuring the record will withstand appellate scrutiny under the revised Chapter 48. Thoughtful front‑end planning often prevents months of satellite litigation over service and keeps the case focused on the merits.
How Southern Atlantic Law Group defends service challenges
For defendants—whether individuals, associations, or businesses—Southern Atlantic Law Group carefully reviews whether service complied with the correct version of Chapter 48, the safe‑harbor rules, and all technical requirements of substituted and long‑arm service. That review can uncover defects supporting motions to quash, objections to personal jurisdiction, or attacks on default judgments premised on flawed service.
The firm’s litigators are experienced in weaving these procedural defenses into broader case strategy, using service objections where appropriate without losing sight of parallel issues such as venue, arbitration provisions, or substantive defenses. In an era where small procedural mistakes can carry outsized consequences, having counsel who live in the details of Florida’s evolving service statutes can be the difference between preserving leverage and waiving critical rights.
Why choose Southern Atlantic Law Group now
The October 1, 2025 effective date for most glitch‑bill provisions means that service issues arising now and going forward will be evaluated under a more demanding, recently amended Chapter 48. Southern Atlantic Law Group’s focus on Florida civil litigation—including HOA, construction, commercial, and real‑estate matters—positions its attorneys to navigate these changes for both plaintiffs and defendants across a wide range of disputes.
Whether you are preparing to file suit and want to ensure service is done right the first time, or you have been served and need to know whether service was proper and how to respond, consulting with the firm early allows these new rules to be used as a tool rather than becoming a costly problem later in the case.
Southern Atlantic Law Group, LLC
