St. Petersburg Probate Attorney

Pinellas County is a peninsula of retirees, seasonal residents and long time Tampa Bay families, and a large share of the estates opened here belong to people whose children live somewhere else. If that describes you, the first surprise is usually geographic: an estate for a St. Petersburg resident may be heard in Clearwater, and the reverse is also true. This page explains why, then walks through the rest of a Pinellas administration from the will deposit to the final discharge.

Communities we serve in Pinellas County

• St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach
• Clearwater
• Largo and Seminole
• Dunedin and Palm Harbor
• Pinellas Park
• Tarpon Springs

Which courthouse hears a Pinellas estate

The Sixth Judicial Circuit serves Pasco and Pinellas counties. In Pinellas, Administrative Order 2025-035, effective December 8, 2025, splits estate cases between two probate sections:

The ZIP code that counts is the one for the petitioner's attorney, or the petitioner's own ZIP code if there is no attorney. It is not the address of the person who died. For attorneys whose ZIP codes are outside both lists, the court distributes cases evenly between the sections and reviews the balance at least twice a year. So the section is not something to plan around. What matters is that each judge posts practice requirements, and we follow the assigned section's requirements from the first filing.

Depositing the will with the Pinellas Clerk

Under section 732.901, the person holding the original will must deposit it with the clerk in the county where the person lived within 10 days after learning of the death, along with the date of death or Social Security number. The Pinellas Clerk's Probate department accepts deposited wills, and its main probate counter is at the Clearwater courthouse at 315 Court Street, Room 106. The Clerk also operates a St. Petersburg branch at 545 First Avenue North. You do not need an attorney to deposit a will, and depositing it does not open an estate.

Court costs in Pinellas

Pinellas filing fees are set under section 28.2401, Florida Statutes, and the Clerk publishes them on its fee schedule. The statewide structure is the same in every county: one charge for formal administration, a lower one for summary administration, a lower one again when the estate is under $1,000, and a separate charge for a caveat or a notice of trust. Neighboring Hillsborough, for example, lists $400 for formal administration, and we confirm the current Pinellas figure for you before anything is filed. Newspaper publication of the notice to creditors is a separate cost.

Choosing the right kind of administration

Summary administration is generally available when the non exempt estate is $150,000 or less, or when the person died more than two years ago. That ceiling was $75,000 until chapter 2026-57 took effect on July 1, 2026, so older guides and forms may show the lower number. Summary administration has no personal representative and no letters, which makes it a poor fit when a bank, brokerage or buyer needs someone with formal authority. Formal administration appoints a personal representative and runs a creditor period before the estate is distributed.

The steps of a Pinellas formal administration

1. Deposit the original will within 10 days and order certified death certificates.
2. File the petition for administration, with the personal representative's oath and designation of resident agent.
3. Receive letters of administration, then open an estate account and collect the assets.
4. Publish and serve the notice to creditors. Creditors generally have three months from first publication to file claims, and known creditors must be served directly.
5. Resolve the home. Ask the court to determine homestead status if the house was the person's residence, or sell or distribute it as the will and the law allow.
6. Pay valid claims, distribute and close with a petition for discharge.

Homestead after a death in Pinellas

A Florida homestead is protected from most creditors, and the Florida Constitution restricts how it can be left by will when a spouse or minor child survives. A court order determining homestead status is what title insurers typically rely on when the heirs later sell. The property tax exemption is a different matter: the Pinellas County Property Appraiser handles it, and anyone who inherits and lives in the home applies in his or her own name by March 1 under section 196.011. See our Florida homestead planning page for how the constitutional rules work.

Personal representatives who live out of state

A nonresident may serve only if he or she is a close relative, such as a child, parent, spouse or sibling of the person who died (section 733.304). Florida also generally requires a personal representative to be represented by a Florida attorney. Neither rule requires you to travel. Most of a Pinellas administration can be handled by electronic filing, signatures by mail and calls with your attorney.

How we work with Pinellas County clients

We do not have an office in Pinellas County. Personal representatives here work with us by phone or video, and anyone who wants to meet in person is welcome at any of our offices, the nearest being our Orlando office. Your first consultation is free, and because the firm limits its caseload, you work directly with an attorney. Our Florida probate administration page explains the process statewide. When you are ready to plan your own estate, see Pinellas County estate planning; for an aging parent, Pinellas elder law; and for selling an inherited home, Pinellas real estate law. Contact us to get started.