Personal jurisdiction is the authority a court has to make legally enforceable orders related to a person or entity and the property of the person or entity, and usually arises when a person has been sued in a lawsuit. For a court to have personal jurisdiction, the person or entity generally (1) must be a resident of the state in which the court is located; (2) as a nonresident, must have initiated sufficient minimum contacts with the state in which the lawsuit is filed; or (3) must have agreed to be governed by the laws of the state (in a contract or website terms) in which the lawsuit is filed.

In Florida, personal jurisdiction refers to the power of a Florida court to bring a person or entity into its legal process and to make decisions that are binding upon them. For a Florida court to establish personal jurisdiction, the defendant must typically have a substantial connection to the state. This can be established if the defendant is a resident of Florida or if the nonresident defendant has sufficient minimum contacts with the state, such as conducting business or committing a tortious act within Florida. Additionally, personal jurisdiction can be consented to if a person or entity agrees to the jurisdiction of Florida courts, which can occur through a contractual clause or by accepting the terms of service on a website that stipulates Florida law will govern disputes. Florida's long-arm statute also outlines specific criteria under which the state's courts may exercise jurisdiction over nonresidents. These criteria must be met for a Florida court to assert jurisdiction in cases involving out-of-state defendants.