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Probate administers a deceased person's estate in circuit court (§ 26.012(2)(b), Fla. Stat.) under Chapters 731–735, Florida Statutes, and the Florida Probate Rules. Which of three tracks applies — and whether an attorney is required by rule — depends mostly on the estate's size and age.
Florida has three tracks: disposition of personal property without administration for small estates consisting of exempt property and final-expense reimbursement (§ 735.301, Fla. Stat. — a clerk-level process); summary administration where the nonexempt estate is worth $75,000 or less or the decedent has been dead more than 2 years (§ 735.201, Fla. Stat.); and formal administration under Chapter 733 for everything else.
Under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030(a), a personal representative in formal administration must be represented by a Florida attorney unless the personal representative remains the estate's sole interested person. Summary administration and disposition without administration are the tracks most often completed without counsel.
Venue is the county of the decedent's domicile (§ 733.101, Fla. Stat.). In formal administration the court issues letters of administration to the personal representative, who must publish and serve notice to creditors (§ 733.2121); creditor claims are generally barred 3 months after first publication (§ 733.702, Fla. Stat.).
Procedural information only — not legal advice and not a substitute for an attorney. Statewide rules are summarized with citations; local practice varies by division and judge, so verify deadlines with the Seminole County clerk and review the assigned judge's verified preferences on the Seminole County page.