Fla. Stat. § 72.031
This is the official text of Fla. Stat. § 72.031, part of Florida’s Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of Florida, published by the state as "Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
72.031 Actions under s. 72.011(1); parties; service of process.
Official statutory text
(1) In any action brought in circuit court pursuant to s. 72.011(1), the person initiating the action shall be the plaintiff and the Department of Revenue shall be the defendant, except that for actions contesting an assessment or denial of refund under chapter 207 the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall be the defendant, for actions contesting an assessment or denial of refund under chapters 210, 550, 561, 562, 563, 564, and 565 the Department of Business and Professional Regulation shall be the defendant, and for actions contesting an assessment or denial of refund of a tax imposed under s. 125.0104 or s. 212.0305 by a county that has elected under s. 125.0104(10) or s. 212.0305(5), respectively, to administer the tax, the defendant shall be the county and the Department of Revenue. It shall not be necessary for the Governor and Cabinet, constituting the Department of Revenue, to be named as party defendants or named separately as individual parties; nor shall it be necessary for the executive director of the department to be named as an individual party.
(2) Service of process on the applicable department or county shall be perfected by service pursuant to s. 48.111, notwithstanding the provisions of s. 48.121.
History: s. 12, ch. 81-178; s. 3, ch. 87-198; s. 6, ch. 91-112; s. 24, ch. 94-353; s. 42, ch. 96-397.
(2) Service of process on the applicable department or county shall be perfected by service pursuant to s. 48.111, notwithstanding the provisions of s. 48.121.
History: s. 12, ch. 81-178; s. 3, ch. 87-198; s. 6, ch. 91-112; s. 24, ch. 94-353; s. 42, ch. 96-397.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Florida?
Find a Florida lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.