Required for attorneysE-filing mandatory for attorneys since April 1, 2013. Optional for self-represented parties. Statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal for all circuit courts.
Filing in person
Walk-ins acceptedFor a Disposition of Personal Property Without Administration, bring the required documents to the Probate Division; staff provide the petition and present it to the probate judge. The filing fee is due when the petition is filed.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe Clerk's office can assist heirs and beneficiaries with a Disposition of Personal Property Without Administration, which is not available when real property is involved. An estate with solely owned real property goes through probate with an attorney. The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit's forms page carries probate checklists, summary administration forms and small-estate disposition packets.
Port St. Joe office, second number1-850-639-5068 · Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM ET
Wewahitchka Annex1-850-639-2175 · 153 North 3rd Street, Wewahitchka, FL 32465 · Friday 8:00 AM-3:30 PM CTA Clerk's annex open Fridays only. It has no mail receptacle, so mail goes to the Port St. Joe office.
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Gulf County, probate runs through the Clerk of Circuit Court at 1000 Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Boulevard, Room 149, Port St. Joe. The court sits in the 14th Judicial Circuit. The same 14th Judicial Circuit also serves Bay, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson and Washington.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Florida intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Florida estates take 9 months to 12 months to move through this process. 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 a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Gulf County
What probate costs in Gulf County, Florida comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Clerk of Circuit Court at 1000 Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Boulevard, Room 149, Port St. Joe. The court is part of the 14th Judicial Circuit.
Florida charges $400Fla. Stat. §§ 28.2401(1)(g), (3); 44.108(1)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Florida are based on reasonable compensation — usually hourly billing or a flat fee for the engagement.
Florida sets executor compensation on a statutory schedule that is presumed reasonable — about $15,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.0%Fla. Stat. § 733.617Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Florida requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under Fla. Stat. § 733.402Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Florida typically runs 9 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Clerk of Circuit Court
Probate cases in Gulf County, Florida are filed at the Clerk of Circuit Court. The court sits in the 14th Judicial Circuit.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for County Civil / Probate / Small Claims, Port St. Joe office, second number, and Wewahitchka Annex.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Florida has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Disposition of Personal Property Without Administration document checklist
Requires the original will (if any), death certificate, a funeral home statement showing payment, signed notarized consents from all heirs, and asset documentation (bank statements, stock certificates, insurance). Not available when real property is involved.
Per F.S. 732.901 the original will must be deposited with the Clerk within 10 days of receiving information the testator is dead; a death certificate is required. There is no filing fee and the depositor receives a Receipt for Deposit of Will. Certified copies are $1.00 per page plus $2.00 certification.
Circuit checklists list what the judge reviews in each estate
The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit publishes checklists for opening and closing formal administration, summary administration, homestead and exempt-property petitions. Each lists the filings the court looks for, starting with a certified death certificate and the original will.
Filed with the opening petition at the Clerk of Circuit Court: Verified Petition for Administration drafted to Fla. Prob. R. 5.200 (petitioner interest, decedent data, beneficiaries, venue, § 733.301 priority, will statement, asset value); Original of the decedent's last will and any codicils (deposited with the court within 10 days of knowledge of death, Fla. Stat. § 732.901), in a testate estateFla. Stat. §§ 733.101-733.402 (venue, petition, appointment, letters, bond); Fla. Prob. R. 5.200 (petition), 5.235 (issuance of letters, bond), 5.030 (attorney required)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Gulf County
In Florida a death is registered locally, and in Gulf County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Florida Department of Health in Gulf County as well as by Florida Department of Health - Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Registrar
Gulf County · Florida Department of Health in Gulf County
The office holds deaths in Gulf County from 1962 to the present and out-of-county Florida deaths since 2009. Vital Statistics also opens at the Wewahitchka Clinic on the first and third Friday of each month.
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
Deeds and other real property documents for Gulf County are recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 1000 Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Boulevard, Room 148, Port St. Joe, FL 32456. Phone: 1-850-229-6112. Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM ET.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court charges $10 for the first page plus $9 for each additional page.
Gulf County accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN, Simplifile and Hopdox.
Florida uses formal, court-supervised probate, which makes an attorney worthwhile for most estates in Gulf County — the filing sequence, notice requirements, and accounting leave little room for error. Estates under the small-estate threshold are the usual exception.
Florida uses a presumed-reasonable fee schedule for probate attorneys — the percentages are a starting point that can be negotiated, especially for simple estates. Gulf County firms typically follow the schedule for routine work and negotiate on complex matters.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Clerk of Circuit Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Boutique tax and estate practice in Panama City serving Bay County and the surrounding Northwest Florida panhandle. Advises executors and trustees on their fiduciary duties, defends estate tax and valuation audits, and handles estate and gift tax planning, business succession, and special needs planning. Laura C. Pyne is also a CPA and worked at KPMG and PwC.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 4 more
Office
2309 Frankford Avenue, Suite APanama City, FL 32405
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.
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Winter Park firm serving Orange County and, in probate matters, the entire state of Florida. Represents estate administrators, executors, trustees, and fiduciaries; handles intestate estates, probate real estate, will contests, and probate litigation; and drafts wills, testamentary trusts, and advance directives. Co-founder John R. Gierach has 43 years of experience and an AV Preeminent rating.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 3 more
Office
1201 S. Orlando Avenue, Suite 460Winter Park, FL 32789
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.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Data sourced from Florida statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Florida
Free tools for settling an estate in Florida: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Florida.
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
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
Can I Self-File Probate?
Florida has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
Enter the estate value to see Florida attorney fees, executor fees, court costs and the timeline.
Examples:
General information about probate costs, not legal or financial advice. Fee bases vary by state and may use gross estate, personal property, inventory value or net property after debts. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.
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See whether you can file probate yourself
Enter the estate value to see whether Florida lets a self-represented person open probate, what the court requires, and what each route costs.
General information about filing probate without a lawyer, not legal advice. Both routes are priced by the probate cost estimator on the same estate; the attorney fee is the one line that differs. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.
