In Clewiston, Akin Davis Funeral Homes - Clewiston provides burial, cremation, funeral and memorial services and pre-need planning, with human composting available through a partner provider.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Hendry County, Florida
How probate works in Hendry County: the Clerk of Circuit Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Hendry County Clerk of Circuit Court
Hendry County · 20th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:45 PM
Office
25 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle, FL 33935
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
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.
Self-represented filing
AllowedNo attorney is needed to deposit a will with the Clerk. A Disposition of Personal Property Without Administration releases assets to the person who paid the final expenses, and its form is available from the Clerk in the Probate Division. The court's order is mailed to the petitioner as a certified copy.
P.O. Box 1760
LaBelle, FL 33975
Departments
- Civil1-863-675-5204 · Judicial Center, 2nd Floor
- Clewiston Branch Office1-863-983-1464 · 1100 South Olympia Street, Suite 502, Clewiston, FL 33440 · Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-1:00 PM and 2:00 PM-4:45 PM
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Hendry County
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 Hendry County, probate runs through the Clerk of Circuit Court at 25 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle. The court sits in the 20th Judicial Circuit. The same 20th Judicial Circuit also serves Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Lee.
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 Hendry County
What probate costs in Hendry 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 25 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle. The court is part of the 20th 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 Hendry County, Florida are filed at the Clerk of Circuit Court. The court sits in the 20th Judicial Circuit.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Civil and Clewiston Branch Office.
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.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Hendry County Self-Filing Assessment.
Hendry County Filing Requirements
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
The petition must be accompanied by the will (if any, filed within 10 days of notice of death), itemized paid funeral bills, paid receipts for medical expenses from the 60 days before death, the death certificate, a statement of the asset to be released, and identification of the person filing.
SourceWhat to Bring
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 Hendry County
In Florida a death is registered locally, and in Hendry County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Florida Department of Health in Hendry County as well as by Florida Department of Health - Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Registrar
Hendry County · Florida Department of Health in Hendry County
P.O. Box 70
LaBelle, FL 33975
Fax
1-863-674-4076
Local rule
- The office holds deaths in Hendry County from 1963 to the present. Photo identification is brought to the office.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $5 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $4 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
District Medical Examiner
Hendry County · Office of the District 21 Medical Examiner
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
70 South Danley Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907-2437
Website
Serves this county
Office of the District 21 Medical Examiner (District 21 (Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties))
Mail and offices
Fax
1-239-277-5017
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Funeral Homes in Hendry County
4 funeral homes and crematories in Hendry County, each listed with the services it offers, the faiths it serves, the languages its staff speak, its address and its phone.
In Clewiston, Butts Memorial Chapel lists a location on South Berner Road beside its Belle Glade chapel. The home describes itself as one of the few family-owned and locally operated funeral homes in Palm Beach County.
In Clewiston, J Brown Funeral and Cremation serves families from its location on Ventura Avenue under the motto "A Service for All People." Its staff includes licensed funeral directors and two chaplains.
In LaBelle, Akin Davis Funeral Homes - LaBelle provides burial, cremation, funeral and memorial services and pre-need planning, with human composting available through a partner provider. The location opened in 1973 and has a chapel and an on-site crematory, and Spanish-language services are available.
Funeral homes by city: Clewiston, LaBelle
Cremation Services in Hendry County
2 listings
Pre-Need Funeral Plans in Hendry County
2 listings
Burial Services in Hendry County
2 listings
Spanish-Speaking Funeral Homes in Hendry County
2 listings
Human Composting in Hendry County
2 listings
Listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any funeral home or crematory.
Transferring Property in Hendry County
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 Hendry County are recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 25 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle, FL 33935. Phone: 1-863-675-5217. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:45 PM.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court charges $10 for the first page plus $9 for each additional page.
Hendry County accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN and Simplifile.
Recording Office Record
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Hendry County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:45 PM
Office
25 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle, FL 33935
Website
E-recording
Fees
Recording fees
| Base fee (first page) | $10 |
| Each additional page | $8.5 |
Fla. Stat. 28.24(13), (13)(c), (13)(d), (13)(e); Fla. Stat. 201.02(1)(a)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Probate Attorneys Serving Hendry County
Florida uses formal, court-supervised probate, which makes an attorney worthwhile for most estates in Hendry 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. Hendry 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.
Fort Myers probate and elder law firm serving Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties, with a Naples office. Matthew A. Linde is one of only ten Florida lawyers board certified by The Florida Bar in both Elder Law and Wills, Trusts & Estates -- the only such attorney in Southwest Florida. Handles probate and trust administration, estate planning, guardianship, and probate litigation.
McGahee & Perez, PL
Clewiston two-attorney firm on Sugarland Highway, and the only private practice based in Hendry County that registers an estates practice with The Florida Bar. Melanie McGahee and Antonio Perez both belong to the Bar's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, and her registered practice areas are wills, trusts and estates, and real estate. In continuous operation since 2005.
West Palm Beach firm with an appointment-only LaBelle office covering Hendry and Glades counties, where almost no private estate practice is based. Handles formal, summary, intestate and contested probate through the Hendry County Clerk and the 20th Judicial Circuit, ancillary administration for out-of-state families, and partition actions when co-heirs inherit rural property together.
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.
Coral Gables firm whose practice is confined to trusts and estates, with companion offices in Naples and West Palm Beach. Handles estate planning, trust and estate administration, and probate and trust litigation for Miami-Dade, Collier, and Palm Beach families, alongside estate taxation and business planning.
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.
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.
Legal Sources
(8)·
- Fla. Stat. § 733.617
- Fla. Stat. §§ 28.2401(1)(g), (3); 44.108(1)
- Fla. 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)
- Fla. 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, 733.710
- Fla. Stat. 28.24(13), (13)(c), (13)(d), (13)(e); Fla. Stat. 201.02(1)(a)
- Hendry County Clerk of Circuit Court, official page
- Hendry County Clerk of the Circuit Court, official page
- Hendry County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
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.
Get the Answer
Hire a Florida Probate Attorney
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