Asset Search Investigations in Florida: How to Locate Assets for Judgment Collection & Litigation
- Jun 2
- 6 min read
A judgment is only worth the assets you can actually reach. Winning in court is one battle; finding the real property, accounts, vehicles, and business interests behind a defendant is an entirely different one. That second battle is where an asset search investigation decides whether your win turns into a recovery or a piece of paper. At Rambo Investigations, LLC, we run lawful, courtroom-ready asset searches for attorneys, creditors, and businesses across Orlando, Winter Park, and Daytona Beach.
What Is an Asset Search Investigation?
An asset search is a structured investigation that identifies and documents what a person or company owns and, just as importantly, what they have tried to hide or move. A licensed investigator pulls from public records, court filings, corporate registries, property and lien databases, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) to build a verified picture of recoverable assets. The goal is not a rumor or a hunch; it is a documented, source-cited report your attorney can act on.
Done correctly, an asset search tells you whether pursuing collection is worth the cost, where the assets sit, and how they are titled. Done incorrectly, or illegally, it can taint your evidence and expose you to liability. The difference is licensure and method.
When You Need a Florida Asset Search
Asset searches are not just for the end of a case. The right time to know what a party owns is often before you commit a dollar to litigation.
After a Judgment — Post-Judgment Collection
You have a final judgment, but the debtor is not paying. Before you spend on garnishment, levies, or proceedings supplementary, you need to know what exists and what is exempt. An asset search maps the targets so collection effort goes where the money actually is.
Before Filing Suit — Pre-Litigation Risk Assessment
Suing a defendant with no reachable assets is an expensive way to lose money. A pre-suit asset search answers the question every litigator should ask first: if we win, can we collect? That single report can reshape a demand, a settlement posture, or the decision to file at all.
Business Due Diligence & Corporate Investigations
Before a partnership, acquisition, large contract, or investment, you need to know who you are dealing with — undisclosed liens, hidden ownership structures, litigation history, and shell entities. Our corporate investigations verify what a counterparty claims and surface what they omit.
Locating a Party to Serve or Collect
You cannot collect from or serve someone you cannot find. Our skip-trace and person locate work pinpoints current addresses, employers, and connected entities so your case keeps moving.
What a Licensed Florida Investigator Can Legally Locate
A properly conducted asset search relies on records that are lawfully accessible and verifiable. The categories below are the backbone of nearly every report we produce.
Real Property & Land Records
Deeds, mortgages, county property appraiser records, and recorded transfers reveal real estate holdings across Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard counties — including property recently retitled into another name.
Business Interests & Corporate Filings
Sunbiz and multi-state corporate registries expose officerships, registered agents, LLC memberships, and the web of related entities people use to distance themselves from assets.
Vehicles, Vessels & Aircraft
Titled property, cars, boats, and aircraft, is traceable through lawful channels,
including DMV records accessed under a permissible legal purpose.
UCC Liens & Secured Interests
Uniform Commercial Code filings show what a debtor has pledged as collateral and who already has a secured claim ahead of you; critical for prioritizing collection.
Judgments, Liens & Court Records
Existing judgments, tax liens, bankruptcies, and litigation history tell you who else is already in line and how a debtor behaves under pressure.
A Straight Answer on Bank Accounts
Be wary of any investigator who promises to hand you a debtor's bank balances. Obtaining account balances by deception, known as pretexting, violates the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. § 6821) and can destroy your case. What we do instead is lawful: we identify financial institutions and asset trails through public-record and OSINT methods, then package that intelligence so your attorney can compel the records through proper post-judgment discovery and subpoenas. The result holds up; the shortcut does not.
The Legal Framework Behind a Florida Asset Search
Florida Proceedings Supplementary (§ 56.29)
Florida's proceedings supplementary statute, Fla. Stat. § 56.29, gives judgment creditors a powerful tool to investigate and reach assets after judgment, including assets fraudulently transferred to third parties. A documented asset search is what makes those proceedings effective.
Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Assets (Chapter 222)
Not everything a debtor owns can be touched. Florida's homestead and exemption provisions in Chapter 222 — including the wage exemption under § 222.11 — shield certain property from collection. A good report separates the reachable from the exempt so you do not chase a dead end.
Federal Privacy Limits: GLBA, FCRA & DPPA
Lawful asset work operates inside hard federal lines: the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681) limits how consumer data is used, and the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721) governs motor-vehicle records. We work under recognized permissible purposes, litigation, judgment enforcement, and fraud prevention, and we license under Florida Statutes Chapter 493 as Agency License #A3500041.
Asset Search vs. Asset Tracing: What's the Difference?
An asset search establishes the baseline; what someone owns right now. Asset tracing follows the movement of specific funds or property over time, often to expose fraudulent transfers, layered LLCs, or assets shuffled to a relative just before a judgment. Many cases need both: the search to find the assets, the tracing to prove where they went and unwind the move.
Our Asset Search Process
1. Scoping call — we define the subject, the legal objective, and the jurisdictions involved.
2. Records & OSINT — property, corporate, lien, court, and open-source data, cross-verified.
3. Verification — every asset is confirmed against a primary source, not a single database hit.
4. Evidence packaging — a clear, source-cited report your attorney can use in discovery or proceedings supplementary.
We do not promise recovery and we do not guarantee outcomes. What we deliver is a defensible, accurate map of assets so the professionals pursuing collection can do it efficiently.
How Much Does an Asset Search Cost in Florida?
Scope drives price. A focused locate is far less involved than a full multi-entity asset and tracing workup for litigation. Field and investigative work starts at $100 per hour, and attorney-retained matters are available as flat-rate bundles. For a breakdown of how investigative pricing works in Central Florida, see our guide on private investigator cost in Orlando. The most efficient first step is almost always a short scoping call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a private investigator find someone's bank account in Florida?
An investigator can lawfully identify financial institutions and asset trails through public records and OSINT, but cannot legally obtain account balances by deception. Pretexting violates the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. We package lawful intelligence so your attorney can compel records through proper discovery.
Is an asset search legal?
Yes, when conducted by a licensed investigator using lawful sources and recognized permissible purposes such as litigation and judgment enforcement. Rambo Investigations operates under Florida Statutes Chapter 493, Agency License #A3500041.
How long does an asset search take?
A basic locate can resolve in days; a full asset and tracing investigation for litigation typically takes longer because every finding is verified against a primary source. Timeline depends on scope and jurisdiction.
Can you find assets that were hidden or transferred?
Often, yes. Asset tracing is built to surface transfers to relatives, shell LLCs, and retitled property. Florida's proceedings supplementary statute (§ 56.29) gives creditors a path to reach fraudulently transferred assets once they are documented.
Do you work directly with attorneys?
Yes. A large share of our asset work is attorney-retained litigation support, delivered as evidence-ready reports for discovery, depositions, and collection proceedings.
Start Your Asset Search Today
If you are sitting on an unpaid judgment, weighing a lawsuit, or vetting a business partner, the first move is knowing what is actually there. Rambo Investigations, LLC serves attorneys, executives, and creditors across Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard counties from offices in Winter Park and Daytona Beach. Discreet. Licensed. Relentless.
Call (407) 900-5880
Rambo Investigations, LLC is a licensed Florida private investigation agency (FL Agency License #A3500041) providing asset search, asset tracing, judgment-collection support, corporate due diligence, skip trace, and litigation-support investigations for attorneys, creditors, and businesses throughout Central Florida, including Orlando, Winter Park, Daytona Beach, Kissimmee, Sanford, Lake Nona, Windermere, and Dr. Phillips, serving Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard counties. All asset investigations are conducted through lawful public-record and open-source intelligence methods in compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Driver's Privacy Protection Act. Rambo Investigations does not guarantee recovery of funds or case outcomes and does not perform marital or family-law asset division work. Bilingual investigators available in English and Spanish. Call (407) 900-5880.
