Getting a judgment if tenant avoids service of court papers

[Matthew B.]

BP,

Has anyone had any luck getting a judgment against a former tenant if the tenant avoids the 20 day summons and cannot be served? The eviction is the easy part. The 5 day summons gets posted to the door even if the tenant doesn't answer. But a 20 day summons (the one that needs to be served in order to get a judgment) has to be served to the tenant and cannot be posted. Any thoughts?

I'm in Florida, so hopefully someone local can chime in. I know the laws vary greatly between the different states.

Thanks!