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.
Probate in Collier County
Probate Court Record
Collier County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
Collier County · 20th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
3315 Tamiami Trail East, Suite 102, Naples, FL 34112
Website
E-filing
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 →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Collier County
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.
Fort Myers solo practice serving Lee and Collier County personal representatives and trustees, including Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, and Estero. Handles probate and trust administration — collecting and valuing assets, locating beneficiaries — plus contested probate and trust disputes. Thomas M. Dryden is Board Certified in Real Estate (1996) and Business Litigation (2013).
Bradenton firm serving Manatee and Sarasota counties from five offices, including Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Anna Maria Island, and downtown Sarasota. Handles formal and summary probate administration, creditor claims, trust administration and accountings, will contests and fiduciary disputes, and guardianship proceedings. Established 1995.
Gainesville firm handling probate in every Florida county on a flat fee, with an Ocala office and a fully remote administration process. Founding partner R. Nadine David advised Florida circuit court probate judges as a probate court staff attorney before entering private practice in 2014. Handles formal and summary administration, trust administration, and estate litigation.
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.
All 26 Florida trust administration 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
Pour-Over Will
In Florida, a pour-over will is signed before 2Fla. Stat. § 732.502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Get Started
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.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Florida happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeFla. Stat. § 736.0101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysFla. Stat. §§ 736.0813, 736.1008, 736.10081Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
In Florida, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Fla. Stat. § 736.0708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.
Calculate the Fee
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Florida: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysFla. Prob. R. 5.340; Fla. Stat. § 733.604Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsFla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702 (later of 3 months from first publication or 30 days from service on a served creditor), 733.703, 733.705, 733.707, 733.710Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
See the Steps
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Florida has no state income tax, so only the federal final Form 1040 is due for the decedentFla. Const. Art. VII, § 5(a)Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Get the Answer
How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?
Inherited assets in Florida take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces no state capital gains taxFla. Const. Art. VII, § 5(a) — "No tax upon estates or inheritances or upon the income of natural persons who are residents or citizens of the state shall be levied by the state"Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Calculate the Tax
