St. Lucie County Probate Court Guide2026 EDITION

Local procedure

What local probate rules apply?

The clerk says summary administration may be filed when the value of the entire estate does not exceed $150,000, or when the decedent has been dead for more than two years. That sentence does not mention exempt property. Use § 735.201. Formal administration must be filed by a Florida attorney unless the personal representative is the sole beneficiary. The clerk cites Florida Probate Rule 5.030. A will is deposited within ten days after the custodian learns of the death, with the date of death or the last four digits of the Social Security number. The deposit fee is $1. The disposition page still describes older dollar caps and links to the 2019 text of § 735.301. Those figures are not repeated here. The St. Lucie West branch lists county civil, small claims, and traffic, not probate. Court hearings are at 218 South 2nd Street, which is not the filing counter. Mail may go to P.O. Box 700, Fort Pierce, FL 34954. After the case is open, the circuit asks that proposed orders go by email in Microsoft Word, with a copy of the filed pleading, the completed opening or closing checklist, and a description of the requested action. The subject line should include the case number, the estate name, and the document type. The circuit says it will not forward ex parte communications to the judge. The St. Lucie address is probateslc@circuit19.org.