Probate in Collier County

Probate Court Record

Collier County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller

Collier County · 20th Judicial Circuit

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

3315 Tamiami Trail East, Suite 102, Naples, FL 34112

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Collier County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Collier County? →Settling an estate in Collier County →

Elder Law Firms Serving Collier County

Miami probate firm serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Collier counties, with a second office in Weston. Handles probate administration and probate litigation, guardianship and Baker Act matters, elder abuse and fraud recovery, and wills and trusts. Serving clients since 1998; Spanish spoken.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder LawGuardianship

Fort Myers firm serving Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties, with a second office in Port Charlotte. Handles formal and summary probate administration, ancillary administration for out-of-state heirs, trust administration, will contests and trust disputes, and guardianship litigation.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

Fort Myers firm established in 1949, with a West Palm Beach office, serving Lee, Collier, and Palm Beach counties. The estate team handles probate and trust administration, fiduciary and beneficiary representation, guardianship, and Medicaid planning. Partner Mary Vlasak Snell practices in estate planning, probate, and trust administration.

Since 1949Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax PlanningGuardianship

Bradenton firm on State Road 70 East serving Manatee and Sarasota families, and accepting probate cases in any Florida county. Guides personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, and handles estate planning, wills, trusts, and elder law as a National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys member. Rodney D. Gerling and Dana Laganella Gerling founded the firm in 2004.

Since 2004Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawWills Trusts

Fort Lauderdale two-attorney firm in which both partners hold Florida Bar board certification: David Shulman in Wills, Trusts and Estates and Jill Ginsberg in Elder Law. Handles probate and trust administration for Broward and Palm Beach fiduciaries, plus guardianship — including emergency temporary guardianship — estate planning, and asset protection. Takes probate matters anywhere in Florida.

Serves the whole stateVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

Seminole firm serving Pinellas and Hillsborough County families since 1976, with St. Petersburg and Sun City Center offices. Walks personal representatives through disposition without administration, summary and formal probate, and trust administration, and litigates trust and estate disputes. Long-term-care Medicaid and elder-law planning sit alongside the settlement work.

Since 1976Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

All 12 Florida elder law firms serving Collier County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Florida

Free Florida forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Florida.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Get Started
Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Florida requires 2Fla. Stat. § 765.203Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredFla. Stat. § 765.203Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Florida requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityFla. Stat. §§ 709.2101, 709.2104, 709.2105, 709.2106, 709.2108, 709.2109, 709.2113, 709.2119, 709.2120, 709.2201, 709.2202, 709.2208, 709.2209 (2024 supported decisionmaking — informational only, not a POA); § 695.01 (recording); § 695.03 (alternative acknowledgment methods referenced by § 709.2105(2))Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Fla. Stat. §§ 709.2101, 709.2104, 709.2105, 709.2106, 709.2108, 709.2109, 709.2113, 709.2119, 709.2120, 709.2201, 709.2202, 709.2208, 709.2209 (2024 supported decisionmaking — informational only, not a POA); § 695.01 (recording); § 695.03 (alternative acknowledgment methods referenced by § 709.2105(2))Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.

Get Started
Free

Last Will and Testament

In Florida, a will is signed before 2Fla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyFla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

Get Started

All Florida forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Florida

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Florida: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Florida.

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Florida runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's Florida Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,320Estimate: 3 hours at $440, Clio's Florida Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,640Estimate: 6 hours at $440, Clio's Florida Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Calculate Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Florida, four years at a public university cost about $64,352NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Fla. Const. Art. VII, § 5(a) caps any Florida estate or inheritance tax at the federal credit amount; the Chapter 198 estate tax (Fla. Stat. § 198.02) is a federal-credit pickup — not repealed, but $0 since EGTRRA eliminated the federal state death tax credit, and the Florida Department of Revenue confirms the estate tax was eliminated for people who died after Dec. 31, 2004. Florida has no inheritance tax and no gift tax.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

Calculate the Amount

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Florida costs an estimated $30,600Fla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees on a statutory schedule presumed reasonableFla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Estates under $150,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check the Rules

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Florida takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees on a statutory schedule presumed reasonableFla. Stat. § 733.6171Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

Get the Answer

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Florida automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceFla. Stat. § 732.703Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

Get the Answer

All Florida tools