Maitland firm on Spartan Drive, founded in 1997, serving Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, and Volusia counties. Handles probate and trust administration and trust and estate litigation -- claims against fiduciaries, will and trust contests, disputed trust accountings, and guardianship disputes -- alongside estate-tax, charitable, and special-needs planning.
Probate in Lake County
Probate Court Record
Lake County Clerk of Circuit & County Courts
Lake County · 5th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
550 West Main Street, 2nd Floor, Tavares, FL 32778
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Lake County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Lake County? →Settling an estate in Lake County →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Lake County
Wildwood and The Villages elder law firm serving Sumter County and central Florida since 1992. Handles probate, trust and estate administration, guardianship, Medicaid and long-term care planning, VA Aid and Attendance claims, and estate tax planning. Eric C. Millhorn is a VA-accredited attorney authorized to represent claimants for VA pension and survivor benefits.
Ocala solo practice serving Marion, Sumter, Citrus, Lake, and Levy counties, including The Villages. Stanley W. Plappert represents personal representatives named in a will and those appointed by the court, advises successor trustees, and screens estates for summary administration. Also handles Florida probate for out-of-state families. Se habla espanol.
Winter Park estate and probate practice on Lee Road with experience in the Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, and Osceola county probate courts. Guides families through probate after a death, including intestate estates, and handles estate planning, special-needs trusts, and asset protection. Founder Merrell Bailey is an attorney and CPA listed in Super Lawyers for estate planning and probate.
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 22 Florida trust administration firms serving Lake 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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