Boutique Fernandina Beach firm on Amelia Island serving Nassau County and the Jacksonville metro. Handles trust and probate administration for families settling an estate, alongside estate planning and private wealth planning for business owners and high-net-worth clients. Founder Lorie L. Chism earned her CPA in 1990 and has been named a Florida Super Lawyer every year since 2014.
Probate in Duval County
Probate Court Record
Duval County Clerk of Circuit Court
Duval County · 4th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
501 West Adams Street, Room 1260, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Duval County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Duval County? →Settling an estate in Duval County →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Duval County
St. Augustine firm on A1A Beach Boulevard with a second office in Jacksonville, handling St. Johns and Duval County probate and trust administration. Guides personal representatives through formal administration and small-estate dispositions, and pairs that with estate planning, elder law, and tax work. Jonathan P. Hermes is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts and Estates.
Lake City firm in the historic Ogden House, serving Columbia and Suwannee counties and North Florida through Jacksonville. Seven attorneys carry probate and trust administration from opening through final distribution, and also handle guardianship administration for court-appointed guardians and nursing-home Medicaid planning. More than 100 years of collective experience.
St. Augustine firm of 15 attorneys serving St. Johns, Flagler, Duval, and Clay counties. Represents personal representatives, beneficiaries, heirs, and trustees from choosing the probate procedure through creditor claims, inherited real property, distribution, and closing the estate. John L. Whiteman, Ann Miles, and Felecia Walker cover administration, trusts, and contested estates.
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 25 Florida trust administration firms serving Duval 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.
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Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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