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.
Probate in Hillsborough County
Probate Court Record
Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court
Hillsborough County · 13th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
800 East Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL 33602
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Hillsborough County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Hillsborough County? →Settling an estate in Hillsborough County →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Hillsborough County
Sarasota elder law and estate planning firm founded in 1995, serving Sarasota, Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Handles probate and trust administration, guardianship proceedings, long-term care planning, special needs trusts, and veterans benefits. Two of its attorneys were among the first three board certified elder law attorneys in Florida.
Largo practice serving Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area, with a second office in downtown St. Petersburg. Daniel De Paz handles probate and trust administration, estate planning, elder law and VA benefits planning, special needs trusts, and unclaimed property recovery. Bilingual English and Spanish.
St. Petersburg firm serving Pinellas and Hillsborough County families from Clearwater to Tampa and Sun City. Represents personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration and probate and trust litigation, plus wills, trusts, guardianships, and elder law. David Foster began the practice here in 1962; his son Bill Foster was mayor of St. Petersburg from 2010 to 2013.
Sarasota practice founded in 2011, with a second office in Lakewood Ranch, serving Sarasota and Manatee counties. Handles probate, trust administration and settlement after death, estate and gift tax planning, and probate and trust disputes including arbitration and mediation. David M. Silberstein has been Florida Bar board certified in both Tax Law and Wills, Trusts and Estates since 1998.
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.
All 27 Florida trust administration firms serving Hillsborough 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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