In Florida, the first certified copy costs $5Florida Department of Health - Bureau of Vital StatisticsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, and each additional copy ordered at the same time $4Florida Department of Health - Bureau of Vital StatisticsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. Copies ordered together cost less than separate orders placed later. The Florida estate settlement plan lists the accounts and institutions that each want a certified copy.
Standard processing in Florida takes 3-5 business days (2009-present), plus shippingFlorida Department of Health - Bureau of Vital StatisticsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. A funeral home's order at the time of death usually arrives first.
Florida sets a statutory order for who controls the disposition of remains: surviving spouse, then son or daughter, then parentF.S. § 497.005(43)Verified Sep 10, 2026View source. The state allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written documentF.S. § 497.005(43)(a)1.Verified Sep 10, 2026View source, and that designation takes priority over the default order. Those wishes can be recorded alongside the rest of an estate plan when you create a revocable living trust.
Florida imposes a 48-hour minimum waiting periodF.S. § 872.03Verified Sep 10, 2026View source before cremation. A medical examiner or coroner authorizes the cremation before it proceeds. Written authorization from a legally authorized person per F.S. § 497.005(43); must include a signed declaration of intent regarding disposition of cremated remains (F.S. § 497.607(1)).
Florida does not set a single dollar-capped small estate limit. Its Disposition Without AdministrationFla. Stat. § 733.402 (bond — required by default: "Unless the bond requirement has been waived by the will or by the courtVerified Sep 8, 2026View source is not gated on a dollar figure. Florida's small estate shortcut is a court procedure: the court's own order authorizes collection. There is no affidavit to present to a bank.