Terms Used In Florida Statutes > Chapter 48 - Process and Service of Process

• Administrative proceeding: means any nonjudicial hearing which may result in the recommendation, approval, or order of disciplinary action against, or suspension or discharge of, a firefighter. See Florida Statutes 112.81
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Audio-video communication technology: means technology in compliance with applicable law which enables real-time, two-way communication using electronic means in which participants are able to see, hear, and communicate with one another. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Benefit: means any pension payment, lump-sum or periodic, to a member, retiree, or beneficiary, based partially or entirely on employer contributions or employee contributions, if applicable. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Calendar month: means one of the 12 divisions of a year as determined by the Gregorian calendar (e. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Compensation: means the monthly salary paid a member by his or her employer for work performed arising from that employment. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Credential analysis: means a process or service, in compliance with applicable law, in which a third party aids a notary public in affirming the validity of a government-issued identification credential and data thereon through review of public or proprietary data sources. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Employer: means any agency, branch, department, institution, university, institution of higher education, or board of the state, or any county agency, branch, department, board, district school board, municipality, metropolitan planning organization, or special district of the state which participates in the system for the benefit of certain of its employees, or a charter school or charter technical career center that participates as provided in…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Employing agency: means any municipality or the state or any political subdivision thereof, including authorities and special districts, which employs firefighters. See Florida Statutes 112.81
• Errors and omissions insurance: means a type of insurance that provides coverage for potential errors or omissions in or relating to the notarial act and is maintained, as applicable, by the online notary public or his or her employer, or a Remote Online Notarization service provider. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Existing systems: means the State and County Officers and Employees' Retirement System, the retirement system for school teachers, and the highway patrol pensions and pension trust fund, which are consolidated in…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Firefighter: means a person who is certified in compliance with…. See Florida Statutes 112.81
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Formal investigation: means the process of investigation ordered by supervisory or management personnel, to determine if the firefighter should be disciplined, reprimanded, suspended, or removed, during which the questioning of a firefighter is conducted for the purpose of gathering evidence of misconduct. See Florida Statutes 112.81
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Government-issued identification credential: means any approved credential for verifying identity under…. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Identity proofing: means a process or service in compliance with applicable law in which a third party affirms the identity of an individual through use of public or proprietary data sources, which may include by means of knowledge-based authentication or biometric verification. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• in the presence of: means :
  (a) In the physical presence of another person; or
  (b) Outside of the physical presence of another person, but able to see, hear, and communicate with the person by means of audio-video communication technology. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Informal inquiry: means a meeting by supervisory or management personnel with a firefighter about whom an allegation of misconduct has come to the attention of such supervisory or management personnel, the purpose of which meeting is to mediate a complaint or discuss the facts to determine whether a formal investigation should be commenced. See Florida Statutes 112.81
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Interrogation: means the questioning of a firefighter by an employing agency in connection with a formal investigation or an administrative proceeding but does not include arbitration or civil service proceedings. See Florida Statutes 112.81
• Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Knowledge-based authentication: means a form of identity proofing based on a set of questions which pertain to an individual and are formulated from public or proprietary data sources. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Member: means any officer or employee who is covered or who becomes covered under this system in accordance with this chapter. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• minor: includes any person who has not attained the age of 18 years. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• oath: includes affirmations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability: means an entity designated by joint rule of the Legislature or by agreement between the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Officer or employee: means any person receiving salary payments for work performed in a regularly established position and, if employed by a municipality, a metropolitan planning organization, or a special district, employed in a covered group. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Online notarization: means the performance of a notarial act using electronic means in which the principal or any witness appears before the notary public by means of audio-video communication technology. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Online notary public: means a notary public commissioned under part I of this chapter, a civil-law notary appointed under chapter 118, or a commissioner of deeds appointed under part IV of chapter 721, who has registered with the Department of State to perform online notarizations under this part. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Pension: means monthly payments to a retiree derived as provided in this chapter. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Physical presence: means being in the same physical location as another person and close enough to see, hear, communicate with, and exchange credentials with that person. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Principal: means an individual whose electronic signature is acknowledged, witnessed, or attested to in an online notarization or who takes an oath or affirmation administered by the online notary public. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form, including public records as defined in…. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• registered mail: includes certified mail with return receipt requested. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Remote presentation: means transmission of an image of a government-issued identification credential that is of sufficient quality to enable the online notary public to identify the individual seeking the notary's services and to perform credential analysis through audio-video communication technology. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Revocable trust: A trust agreement that can be canceled, rescinded, revoked, or repealed by the grantor (person who establishes the trust).
• RON service provider: means a person that provides audio-video communication technology and related processes, services, software, data storage, or other services to online notaries public for the purpose of directly facilitating their performance of online notarizations, in compliance with the requirements of this chapter and any rules adopted by the Department of State pursuant to…. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Social security coverage: means old-age, survivors, disability, and health insurance, as provided by the federal Social Security Act. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• system: means the general retirement system established by this chapter, including, but not limited to, the defined benefit program administered under this part, referred to as the "Florida Retirement System Pension Plan" or "pension plan" and the defined contribution program administered under part II of this chapter, referred to as the "Florida Retirement System Investment Plan" or "investment plan. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• System Trust Fund: means the trust fund established in the State Treasury by this chapter for the purpose of holding and investing the contributions paid by members and employers and paying the benefits to which members or their beneficiaries may become entitled. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Unit: means any department, division, or subdivision of a city or any classification of city employees approved for social security coverage, as such, by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, not based on age, sex, or other classification resulting in higher than average costs for retirement benefits. See Florida Statutes 121.021
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• veteran: means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under honorable conditions only or who later received an upgraded discharge under honorable conditions, notwithstanding any action by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on individuals discharged or released with other than honorable discharges. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Witness: when used as a noun, means an individual whose electronic signature is affixed to an electronic record to attest or subscribe to a principal's signature on such record. See Florida Statutes 117.201
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01