Formal vs. Summary (Small-Estate) Administration
Florida offers two probate paths. Learn whether your estate qualifies for fast, low-cost summary administration or needs full formal administration.
April 1, 2025
Florida offers two probate paths. Learn whether your estate qualifies for fast, low-cost summary administration or needs full formal administration.
How to challenge or defend a Florida will: grounds, the caveat, deadlines, and what a will contest in the circuit court really involves.
A clear, first-timer’s checklist for settling a Florida estate, from securing assets to closing administration under the Florida Probate Code.
How to sell estate real estate during Florida probate: authority to sell, court approval, homestead, will-contest holdups, and steps to close cleanly.
What ‘Letters’ mean in Florida probate: how Letters of Administration give a personal representative legal authority, who gets them, and how to obtain them.
Owned a Florida condo but lived elsewhere? Learn how ancillary probate handles out-of-state owners’ Florida real estate, and how to avoid it.
A Florida probate attorney explains how clear estate planning prevents will contests and family disputes, with statutes, drafting tips, and FAQs.
How a Florida probate estate is closed and assets are finally distributed, what the personal representative must file, and how disputes can delay it.
Named to settle a Florida estate? A first-timer’s guide to a personal representative’s core duties, deadlines, and fiduciary responsibilities under Florida law.
A plain-English guide to Florida’s notice rules in probate: who must be told, how creditors file claims, and the deadlines that protect the estate.
South Florida draws property owners from across the globe. Condos in Miami, vacation homes in Fort Lauderdale, and investment real estate in Palm Beach are
Learn the most common reasons Florida probate drags on and the practical steps first-time personal representatives can take to keep an estate moving.
How Florida homestead property passes outside probate, the rules that override a will, and why homestead drives many South Florida family disputes.
Died without a will in Florida? Learn how intestate succession decides who inherits, plus homestead, spouse rights, and the steps involved.
A Florida probate attorney explains how probate works step by step: filing, personal representative duties, creditors, distribution, and disputes.
Living out of state and named to handle a Florida estate? Learn the residency rules, qualification limits, and practical steps for out-of-state executors.
How ancillary probate works when an out-of-state decedent owned Florida property, including Fla. Stat. 734.102, timelines, costs, and dispute risks.
Contesting a will in Florida: the legal grounds, who can challenge, deadlines, burden of proof, and the probate court process explained by FL probate counsel.
How Florida probate handles debts: the notice to creditors, the 3-month and 30-day claim windows, objections, and the order of payment.
Compare formal vs. summary administration in Florida probate: eligibility, timeline, costs, creditor risk, and which path protects families facing disputes.
How much does Florida probate cost? Attorney fees, court costs, and the statutes behind the bill, explained by a South Florida probate attorney.
How to open a probate estate in Florida: where to file, what documents you need, who serves as personal representative, and the deadlines that matter.
Why does Florida probate take so long? A South Florida probate attorney explains the most common delays, from creditor claims to will contests, and how to prevent them.
What does a Florida personal representative do? Learn the legal duties, deadlines, and liabilities of an estate executor under Florida probate law.
What Florida probate actually costs: court filing fees, the statutory attorney fee schedule, personal representative compensation, and how to keep costs down.
A first-timer’s plain-English guide to Florida probate: what it is, when it’s required, and how the Florida Probate Code shapes the process.
A first-timer’s guide to Florida’s small-estate shortcuts: summary administration and disposition without administration, when they apply and how they save time.
A plain-English, step-by-step walkthrough of Florida probate, from filing to closing, including summary and formal administration under the Florida Probate Code.
How Florida’s homestead protections shape what happens to the family home in probate, including creditor protection, who can inherit, and Lady Bird deeds.
Which assets go through Florida probate and which pass outside it? A South Florida probate attorney breaks down probate vs. non-probate assets.
