Fla. Prob. R. 5.386 · Part II. — PROBATE

ESCHEAT

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — October 1, 2026 edition

(a) Escheat Proceeding. If it appears to the personal representative that an estate may escheat or there is doubt about the existence of any person entitled to the estate, the personal representative must institute a proceeding to determine beneficiaries within 1 year after letters have been issued to the personal representative, and notice must be served on the Department of Legal Affairs. If the personal representative fails to institute the proceeding within the time fixed, it may be instituted by the Department of Legal Affairs.

(b) Court’s Report. On or before January 15 of each year, each court must furnish to the Department of Legal Affairs a list of all estates being administered in which no person appears to be entitled to the property and the personal representative has not instituted a proceeding for the determination of beneficiaries.

Notes and commentary — not rule text

Committee Notes

This rule represents a rule implementation of the procedure formerly found in section 732.107, Florida Statutes. It is not intended to change the effect of the statute from which it was derived but has been reformatted to conform with the structure of these rules. It is not intended to create a new procedure or modify an existing procedure.

Rule History

1988 Revision: New rule.

1992 Revision: Editorial change. Committee notes revised. Citation form changes in committee notes.

2003 Revision: Committee notes revised.

2012 Revision: Committee notes revised.

2026 Revision: Committee notes revised. Statutory References § 732.107, Fla. Stat. Escheat. § 733.105, Fla. Stat. Determination of beneficiaries. § 733.816, Fla. Stat. Disposition of unclaimed property held by personal representatives. Rule References Fla. Prob. R. 5.020 Pleadings; verification; motions. Fla. Prob. R. 5.040 Notice. Fla. Prob. R. 5.041 Service of pleadings and documents. Fla. Prob. R. 5.042 Time. Fla. Prob. R. 5.385 Determination of beneficiaries and shares. Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516 Service.

Source of truth

Edition: October 1, 2026 edition
Official file: https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2026/10/Probate-Rules-10-01-26.pdf (PDF pages 175–176)
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Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.