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Small Estate Probate in Florida: Summary Administration and Disposition Without Administration

Summary administration is Florida’s streamlined, lower-cost probate process available when the estate’s non-exempt assets are worth $150,000 or less (for deaths on or after July 1, 2026), or when the decedent has been dead for more than two years. Unlike formal administration, it does not require appointing a personal representative — the court can enter… Continue reading Small Estate Probate in Florida: Summary Administration and Disposition Without Administration

Florida Probate Attorney Fees: What to Expect and How Costs Are Determined

When facing the loss of a loved one, understanding the cost to hire a probate attorney in Florida becomes a pressing concern for families already dealing with grief and complex legal procedures. Florida’s probate system involves specific fee structures, statutory guidelines, and various factors that influence the total cost of legal representation during estate administration.… Continue reading Florida Probate Attorney Fees: What to Expect and How Costs Are Determined

Florida Probate Filing Deadlines: What You Need to Know After a Loved One Passes

When a loved one passes away in Florida, one of the most pressing legal questions families face is how long after death do you have to file probate in florida. The answer isn’t always straightforward, as Florida law provides different timeframes depending on the circumstances of the estate and the type of probate administration required.… Continue reading Florida Probate Filing Deadlines: What You Need to Know After a Loved One Passes

Medicaid Planning and Florida Probate: Protecting Assets While Qualifying for Long-Term Care

Long-term nursing home care in Florida costs more than $10,000 per month. For many families, Medicaid is the only realistic option for covering those costs—but qualifying requires meeting strict income and asset limits that can leave a surviving spouse financially devastated if the planning isn’t done correctly. Making matters more complicated, Florida’s Medicaid estate recovery… Continue reading Medicaid Planning and Florida Probate: Protecting Assets While Qualifying for Long-Term Care

How to Get Guardianship of an Elderly Parent in Florida

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To get guardianship of an elderly parent in Florida, you file a petition to determine incapacity and a petition to appoint a guardian in the probate court of the county where your parent lives. The court appoints a three-member examining committee to evaluate your parent, holds an incapacity hearing, and — if your parent is… Continue reading How to Get Guardianship of an Elderly Parent in Florida

Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney in Florida: When Planning Fails

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The key difference in Florida is timing and control: a power of attorney is created voluntarily by a person while they still have capacity and requires no court involvement, while a guardianship is imposed by a probate court after a person is found incapacitated and is supervised by the court. A valid durable power of… Continue reading Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney in Florida: When Planning Fails

Deadlines for Contesting a Will or Trust in Florida: What You Need to Know Before Time Runs Out

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If you believe a loved one’s will was the product of undue influence, or that a trustee is mismanaging trust assets, you may have strong legal grounds for a challenge. But none of that matters if you miss the deadline to file. Florida imposes some of the most rigid limitation periods in the country for… Continue reading Deadlines for Contesting a Will or Trust in Florida: What You Need to Know Before Time Runs Out

Undue Influence in Florida Will and Trust Contests: What It Takes to Prove Someone’s Will Was Overridden

A father changes his will six weeks before dying, cutting out three children and leaving everything to a live-in girlfriend who drove him to the attorney’s office. A mother with advancing dementia signs a trust amendment that nobody in the family knew about, making a caregiver the primary beneficiary. A brother convinces an ailing parent… Continue reading Undue Influence in Florida Will and Trust Contests: What It Takes to Prove Someone’s Will Was Overridden

Florida Revocable Living Trust: How It Works and Why You Need One

A revocable living trust is one of the most powerful estate planning tools available to Florida residents—yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. When properly created and funded, a living trust allows your assets to pass directly to your beneficiaries without ever going through the Florida probate court system, saving your family months of… Continue reading Florida Revocable Living Trust: How It Works and Why You Need One