Florida Probate Attorney Service Areas: Find Your County

Three counties, three circuits. Community names include cities, neighborhoods and unincorporated areas; they do not each identify a separate probate court.

The Central Florida areas listed below span four judicial circuits: the Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and Eighteenth.

Which county is The Villages in for probate?

All 67 Florida counties: probate court, circuit and local pages

Every Florida county has a clerk of the circuit court, and each county belongs to one of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits. The table lists each county’s circuit and county seat, the clerk’s official website, and Lorenzo Law’s pages for that county. Some larger counties also hear probate matters at branch courthouses; check the clerk’s site for the filing location. Counties marked “served statewide” have no local page yet; see other Florida areas.

Clerk websites are taken from the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers directory and were checked October 6, 2026. County seats are listed for orientation; filing locations are set by each clerk and court.

Find your city: Florida communities and their county

Cities, neighborhoods and unincorporated communities are not separate probate courts; the county is what matters. The lookup box searches this list. A name is linked where Lorenzo Law has a page for it. If a community spans more than one county, as The Villages does, the street address decides.

Which Florida county do you file probate in?

Where do I file probate in Florida?

Domicile is where the person made their permanent home: residence plus the intent to remain. A person can have several residences but only one domicile. It is usually obvious, but not always: a person who split time between counties or states, or moved into assisted living elsewhere, may leave a real question. Settle the county before anything is filed, because it decides which clerk, which judge’s procedures and which local checklists apply.

What if the person lived outside Florida but owned property here?

For a person who was not domiciled in Florida, §733.101 places venue in any county where the decedent had property. When there is a probate case in the person’s home state, the Florida case is usually an ancillary administration under §734.102. Let us know about any proceeding already underway elsewhere.

What if the person owned property in more than one Florida county?

The case is still opened in one county: the county of domicile for a Florida resident. Real property in other Florida counties is administered within that same case. To clear record title, a certified copy of the letters of administration and of any order affecting the property is usually recorded in the county where the land lies (§28.223); not recording does not make the order invalid, but it leaves the title record incomplete. Bring the property addresses or parcel numbers to the first conversation.

Does it matter where the heirs or the personal representative live?

Not for venue. The heir’s residence and the lawyer’s meeting location do not by themselves determine where probate is filed. Where the personal representative lives matters for a different question, whether they can serve; see who can serve if they live outside Florida.

What if the person died in a hospital or hospice in another county?

The place of death does not move the case. A Florida resident’s estate is opened in the county of domicile, wherever the death occurred, whether that was a hospital, a hospice or a relative’s home in another county.

What happens if probate is opened in the wrong county?

The court can transfer the case to the proper county (§733.101(3)). Venue is not jurisdictional, so an objection to venue can be waived, and an interested person served with the notice of administration generally must object to venue within three months after service, and in any event no later than the earlier of the personal representative’s discharge or one year after service (§733.212). Getting the county right at the start avoids a transfer, refiling and delay.

How is domicile decided for a snowbird or part-year resident?

Where a person split time between Florida and another state, domicile at death is a question of fact the court decides on the evidence. The answer decides whether Florida handles the main (domiciliary) administration or only an ancillary one. If the family is unsure, raise it at the first consultation, before a petition is filed in either state. See the out-of-state executor and ancillary probate pages.

How Florida’s probate courts are organized

What court handles probate in Florida?

How many judicial circuits does Florida have, and which one is my county in?

Florida has 20 judicial circuits. Large counties form a circuit on their own (Miami-Dade is the 11th, Broward the 17th, Palm Beach the 15th, Hillsborough the 13th); smaller counties share one. The county table shows each county’s circuit.

Is probate handled the same way in every Florida county?

The statutes and rules are statewide, but local practice differs. Each circuit’s chief judge organizes the probate division by administrative order, so dockets, checklists and hearing practice vary from county to county. That is why Lorenzo Law publishes county probate court guides for Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Duval, Lee and Collier and Sarasota and Manatee.

Are Florida probate records public?

Probate court files are presumptively public (Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.420), but estate inventories and accountings are confidential (§733.604). Only the personal representative, the personal representative’s attorney and interested persons (as the Probate Code defines them) may see them without a court order; anyone else needs a court order on a showing of good cause. Each clerk’s website, linked in the county table, explains how to search that county’s probate records.

Can probate be filed online in Florida?

Attorneys file probate documents through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, and a person without a lawyer may choose to use it as well (Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.525). The original will is the exception: it is deposited with the clerk under §732.901 and kept in its original form (Fla. Prob. R. 5.043).

What is the 10-day rule for probate in Florida?

It concerns the original will. §732.901 provides: “The custodian of a will must deposit the will with the clerk of the court having venue of the estate of the decedent within 10 days after receiving information that the testator is dead.” For a Florida resident, the clerk “having venue” is the clerk for the county of domicile. For a nonresident, it is the clerk of a Florida county where the decedent’s property is located (§733.101). Either way, it is one more reason to identify the county early.

Handling a Florida estate from another county, state or country

You can begin with a phone consultation if you live outside the area. Much of a probate administration runs on filings, and family members can sign many documents from wherever they live. Most steps in an uncontested administration need no hearing at all. Where a hearing is required, many Florida probate divisions hold it by video or telephone at the judge’s discretion, and documents can be signed and notarized remotely.

Do I need a probate attorney in the same county as the court?

No. A member of The Florida Bar can handle a probate case in any Florida county, and filings go through the statewide portal. What matters is knowing the local procedures of the county where the case is filed. A personal representative must be represented by a Florida attorney unless the personal representative is the sole interested person or is a Florida-admitted attorney (Fla. Prob. R. 5.030).

Can I work with Lorenzo Law if I live out of state or abroad?

Yes. Consultations are by phone or video, in English or Spanish, and meetings in Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale are available by appointment. Ask what can be handled remotely in your particular matter. For heirs and executors abroad, see herencia en Florida para extranjeros.

Will I have to appear in court in person?

It depends on the proceeding and the court. Filing, original-document and appearance requirements vary, and a phone consultation does not mean every court step can be completed remotely. Ask about the specific steps in your case before you plan travel.

Who can serve as personal representative if they live outside Florida?

§733.304 limits who may serve as personal representative when they are not a Florida resident: a nonresident qualifies only through a listed family relationship to the decedent. Living outside Florida is not an automatic disqualification. See out-of-state executor in Florida.

Call (305) 224-6811 or Request a free initial consultation

Probate disputes by area

An estate disagreement may require a different kind of representation from routine administration. For a will dispute, concerns about a personal representative or a contested estate proceeding, start with Florida probate litigation or the local page:

• Miami probate litigation
• Fort Lauderdale probate litigation
• Boca Raton probate litigation
• West Palm Beach probate litigation
• Orlando probate litigation
• Tampa probate litigation
• Pinellas County probate litigation
• Jacksonville probate litigation
• Impugnar un testamento en Florida

Other services by area

Planning ahead, or transferring a home without probate? These local pages cover related services:

Lady Bird deeds

• Lady Bird deeds in Florida
• Miami
• Broward County
• Palm Beach County
• Orlando
• Kissimmee
• Altamonte Springs
• Volusia County
• Daytona Beach
• The Villages
• Brevard County
• Polk County
• Tampa
• Pinellas County
• Pasco County
• Sarasota
• Fort Myers
• Cape Coral
• Naples
• St. Lucie County
• Jacksonville
• St. Augustine
• Pensacola

Estate planning and guardianship

• Florida estate planning attorney
• Miami estate planning
• Coral Gables estate planning
• Fort Lauderdale estate planning
• Palm Beach County estate planning
• Orlando estate planning
• South Florida guardianship
• Miami guardianship

Spanish-language wills: abogado de testamentos en Florida · testamento en Florida. All services: Practice Areas.

¿Prefiere español? Sucesiones y herencias en Florida por condado

Si busca un abogado de herencias o un abogado de sucesiones en Florida, lo primero es saber en qué condado se abre el caso. En Florida, la sucesión (en inglés, probate) se tramita en la división de sucesiones del tribunal de circuito del condado que corresponde. Lorenzo Law atiende casos en los 67 condados de Florida, en español y en inglés, y la primera consulta es gratuita. La misma persona, el abogado Jose M. Lorenzo, Jr., lleva el caso de principio a fin.

¿En qué condado se abre la sucesión en Florida?

¿Puedo hacer el trámite desde otro país?

En muchos casos, sí. Gran parte de una sucesión se tramita por escrito, y muchos documentos se pueden firmar desde donde usted viva. Cuando hace falta una audiencia, muchos juzgados de sucesiones de Florida la celebran por video o por teléfono, a criterio del juez. Lo que se puede hacer a distancia depende del caso y del tribunal. Vea herencia en Florida para extranjeros.

Páginas en español por condado: Miami-Dade (34 páginas), Broward (9 páginas), Palm Beach (4 páginas), Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, Sanford, Deltona, The Villages, Tampa, Ybor City, St. Petersburg, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres y Jacksonville.

Para todo el estado: abogado de herencias en Florida · abogado de testamentos en Florida · impugnar un testamento.

Solicitar una consulta gratuita o Llamar al (305) 224-6811

Other Florida areas

Your community does not need a separate page for you to ask about representation. If your county or city is not listed, request a consultation and tell us where the person was domiciled, where the Florida property is located and whether a court case is already open. The firm will review whether it can assist with your matter.

Probate resources

Use these resources for the questions that arise after you locate the right area:

• Florida probate guide and probate FAQ: process, costs and timing.
• Summary administration: eligibility and limits of the shorter procedure.
• When probate is not necessary and Florida non-probate assets: how ownership and beneficiary designations affect the transfer route.
• What probate costs in Florida and how long probate takes.
• Out-of-state executors and how to become personal representative.
• The Florida probate process, creditor claims and assets exempt from probate.
• Selecting a personal representative, surviving spouse rights, the elective share and homestead in probate: protections that may affect estate distribution.
• Adult guardianship, when someone is losing capacity and no planning is in place.

Florida probate service areas: frequently asked questions

How do I choose a probate attorney in another part of Florida?

Ask who will actually handle the matter, how the firm works with the county where the case is filed, how fees are set and put in writing, and whether consultations are available in your language. Lorenzo Law is a solo practice: the attorney you speak with is the attorney who handles the case.

How much does a Florida probate attorney cost?

The initial consultation is free. Fees for any representation are agreed in writing before work begins. Florida law does not set a mandatory statutory attorney fee for probate, and the fee is negotiable (§733.6171). See what probate costs in Florida and the Florida probate lawyer page.

Is the consultation free, and is it available in Spanish?

Yes to both. The initial consultation is free and is available in English or Spanish. Sending a request does not create an attorney-client relationship.

What should I bring to a first consultation?

Have the date of death, the person’s domicile, the Florida county and general asset types available, if known. Mention your connection to the estate, any existing case, court notice or upcoming deadline. You do not need a complete set of records to ask for a consultation.

What if my county or city is not listed?

Every Florida county is served. Use the county table to identify the circuit and clerk, then contact Lorenzo Law with the county of domicile and the location of any Florida property.

Request a free initial consultation

Call (305) 224-6811 or contact Lorenzo Law. Consultations are available in English and Spanish.

Keep the initial message brief. Do not send account numbers or sensitive documents through the form. Sending a request does not create an attorney-client relationship. If a deadline is approaching, call and explain the timing rather than waiting for a form response.

Request a free initial consultation or Call (305) 224-6811

This page offers general information about Florida probate and is not legal advice for a specific case. Reading it or sending an inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts, and the law changes. It reflects the law as of October 2026.

About the Author

• Jose M. Lorenzo, Jr. is the firm’s sole attorney. He was admitted to The Florida Bar on October 4, 2013, Florida Bar No. 107002. You can check his Florida Bar profile.
• His practice focuses on probate, estate administration, guardianship and probate litigation, statewide.
• Clients work directly with Jose, from the first call to the discharge of the personal representative.
• Consultations in English and Spanish. Principal office in Kissimmee; Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale by appointment.

Authorities Cited on This Page

The Florida statutes cited here are the 2026 Florida Statutes, and the court rules are cited from the compilations in effect on October 1, 2026. Statutory and rule text controls over any summary on this page.