How to Avoid Probate in Florida: A Walk-Through Using the Hernandez Family
How a Florida family skipped probate using a Lady Bird deed, beneficiary designations, and a revocable trust under Chapters 731-735.
February 16, 2026
How a Florida family skipped probate using a Lady Bird deed, beneficiary designations, and a revocable trust under Chapters 731-735.
Avoid the costly Florida estate planning mistakes that hurt surviving spouses — homestead traps, elective share errors, stale beneficiaries, and more.
Adding a child to your Florida deed or bank account feels simple, but joint ownership can backfire badly. A scenario-based look at the real risks.
South Florida is built by people who came from somewhere else. In our community, it is common for one spouse to be a U.S. citizen
A Florida estate attorney explains the durable power of attorney under Chapter 709: how it works, agent duties, banking provisions, and spouse concerns.
How Florida business owners plan their estate and succession—buy-sell agreements, trusts, elective share, and protecting a surviving spouse’s interest.
Annual exclusion gifts, 529 plans, and direct tuition payments help Florida families shrink a taxable estate. A scenario-driven guide.
Divorced, remarried, or new to Florida? Learn when and how to update your estate plan under Florida law, plus elective-share traps for spouses.
How Florida health care surrogate designations and living wills work under Chapter 765, why spouses need both, and how to make them legally valid.
A Florida walk-through of health care surrogates, living wills, and advance directives under Chapter 765 when a medical crisis strikes.
Florida trust vs. will, compared through real scenarios on probate, homestead, privacy, and cost, so you can tell which one actually fits your life.
A Florida estate attorney explains Lady Bird (enhanced life estate) deeds, how they avoid probate, and what surviving spouses should know about elective share.
When do irrevocable trusts make sense in Florida? A Florida estate attorney explains asset protection, Medicaid, taxes, and elective-share traps.
How snowbirds and dual-state residents should plan their estates, fix Florida domicile, and protect a surviving spouse’s elective share. A Florida attorney explains.
Walk through what Florida law does with your home, money, and kids if you die intestate, plus the homestead and probate surprises that catch families.
How Florida’s Medicaid 5-year look-back works for nursing-home care, what triggers a penalty, and planning moves that actually help.
Choosing a Florida personal representative: who qualifies, what they do, and the residency rules that disqualify many out-of-state picks.
A Florida-specific look at whether you need a will, using real scenarios on homestead, probate, and what the state decides if you skip it.
How Florida trust administration works after the grantor dies: successor trustee duties, the 30-day notice, creditor claims, and surviving-spouse elective share.
Florida beneficiary designations on life insurance, IRAs, and POD accounts override your will. Learn how this affects spouses and elective share.
When do irrevocable trusts make sense in Florida? Real scenarios on asset protection, Medicaid planning, and the control you trade away under Chapter 736.
How Florida homestead law protects the family home from creditors and restricts devise, and how to plan around it for a surviving spouse.
How charitable giving and trusts work in a Florida estate plan, including CRTs, CLTs, and how gifts interact with a surviving spouse’s elective share.
Picking a Florida trustee: the duties, the difference from an executor, and how to weigh family members against professional trustees.
How Medicaid asset protection planning works in Florida: the 5-year look-back, exempt assets, spousal protections, and trusts that preserve a legacy.
How to fund a revocable living trust correctly in Florida: retitling assets, homestead and spousal traps, and the elective-share concerns surviving spouses face.
How Florida’s 30% elective share protects a surviving spouse, what counts in the elective estate, and how couples plan around it. South Florida attorneys explain.
How a Florida special needs trust lets you provide for a disabled loved one without ending SSI or Medicaid eligibility. A scenario-based guide.
A plain-English, Florida-focused guide to revocable living trusts, using a real scenario to show how they sidestep probate under Chapter 736.
How Florida families use spendthrift trusts, staggered distributions, and trustee controls to protect an inheritance for young or financially fragile heirs.
