(1) A corporation may be served with process required or authorized by law by serving on its registered agent.

(2) If a corporation ceases to have a registered agent or if its registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be served, the process required or permitted by law may instead be served on the chair of the board, the president, any vice president, the secretary, or the treasurer of the corporation at the principal office of the corporation in this state.

(3) If the process cannot be served on a corporation pursuant to subsection (1) or subsection (2), the process may be served on the secretary of state as an agent of the corporation.

(4) Service of process on the secretary of state shall be made by delivering to and leaving with the department duplicate copies of the process.

(5) Service is effectuated under subsection (3) on the date shown as received by the department.

(6) The department shall keep a record of each process served on the secretary of state pursuant to this subsection and record the time of and the action taken regarding the service.

(7) Any notice or demand on a corporation under this chapter may be given or made to the chair of the board, the president, any vice president, the secretary, or the treasurer of the corporation; to the registered agent of the corporation at the registered office of the corporation in this state; or to any other address in this state that is in fact the principal office of the corporation in this state.

(8) This section does not affect the right to serve process, give notice, or make a demand in any other manner provided by law.

History.—s. 32, ch. 89-154; s. 140, ch. 90-179; s. 7, ch. 97-102; s. 36, ch. 2019-90.