Okeechobee County probate help.

Clerk and filing

E-filing and records search

• The circuit directs most probate filings to the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. The original will, codicils and death certificates are filed on paper. circuit19.org
• The clerk's Services menu links the E-Filing Portal. myokeeclerk.com
• Probate questions and submissions for Judge Buchanan go by email to the case manager at [email protected]. circuit19.org

Probate filing fees posted by the clerk

Source: Okeechobee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, Probate Division fee schedule, checked October 16, 2026. Each posted fee that has a § 28.2401 amount is $1 above that amount (plus the $4 petition charge where § 28.2401(3) applies).

Judges and divisions

19th Judicial Circuit. Serves Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.

Courthouses that hear probate

• Okeechobee County Courthouse, 312 N.W. 3rd St., Okeechobee, FL 34972; 863-763-2131 circuit19.org probate assignment

• Florida Courts lists the Nineteenth Circuit as Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. The circuit's own site lists the same four counties. flcourts.gov
• General magistrates appointed under AO 2025-06 may hear probate and guardianship matters. The appendix revised August 3, 2026 names Lindsay Stroke, Bruce Baillie, Adrienne Fleming and Kathryn Hill. circuit19.org
• Judge Laurie Buchanan is assigned all probate and guardianship cases in Okeechobee County, along with all civil cases, dependency cases and half of the domestic relations cases. Judge William Wallace assists with probate cases. circuit19.org
• Judge Buchanan's courtroom is Courtroom B, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, telephone (863) 763-1122. circuit19.org

Administrative orders

Orders of the 19th Judicial Circuit that apply to probate and guardianship cases in Okeechobee County. Circuit order index.

• AO 2026-03 (Amended), Judicial Assignments for 2026. Date: January 12, 2026 (effective January 12, 2026). Assigns the circuit's judges to divisions and counties for 2026, including the probate and guardianship judges in each of the four counties; supersedes AO 2025-08.
• AO 2025-06 (Amended), Magistrates and Hearing Officers. Date: September 25, 2025, amended October 20, 2025 (appendix revised August 3, 2026). Appoints the circuit's general magistrates, who may hear probate and guardianship matters under Probate Rules 5.095 and 5.697; the appendix lists Lindsay Stroke, Bruce Baillie, Adrienne Fleming and Kathryn Hill.
• AO 2026-06, Rescission of Administrative Order 2025-10; Use of Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings. Date: June 16, 2026 (effective June 15, 2026). Rescinds the circuit's artificial intelligence filing order; filers follow Rule 2.515 as amended, under which the signer is responsible for verifying every legal authority cited.

Local requirements and forms

Where and how to file

• A probate case is filed with the clerk in the proper county: the county of residence for a Florida resident (see the death certificate), or the county where the property is located for a non-resident. circuit19.org
• Most filings go through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. The original will, any codicils and original death certificates are filed on paper. circuit19.org
• The custodian of a will deposits it with the clerk in the county where the decedent lived. circuit19.org

Court submissions by email

• For Okeechobee County, the Probate & Guardianship Division page lists [email protected] as the address for pleadings, proposed orders and communications. circuit19.org
• Each submission email carries a subject line with the case number, estate name and document type, a copy of the filed pleadings, the proposed order in Microsoft Word, the completed checklist for opening or closing an estate, and a description of the requested court action. circuit19.org
• A probate case must be opened before documents are submitted. The circuit states that no ex parte communications are forwarded to judges. circuit19.org

Forms

• The circuit's Forms and Checklists page offers these probate forms: Petition to Determine Homestead Intestate, Petition to Determine Exempt Property, Petition for Summary Administration Pro Se, and Exhibit A, Schedule of Creditors and Provision for Payment, all as Word files. circuit19.org

Clerk guidance on common probate filings

• A small estate can be probated pro se. A person seeking appointment as personal representative must have an attorney unless that person is an attorney or the sole person to receive assets from the estate. myokeeclerk.com
• Letters of administration are issued through the opening of a formal administration. myokeeclerk.com
• A petition for disposition of personal property without administration is accompanied by an itemized paid funeral bill, paid receipts for medical expenses incurred in the 60 days before death, a certified death certificate, documents verifying the assets, and the will if there is one (filed with the clerk within 10 days of notice of death). The clerk states that no real estate can be in the estate. myokeeclerk.com
• A petition to admit a foreign will to transfer Florida real property of a non-resident may be filed only if the decedent has been dead more than two years, or after the domiciliary personal representative is discharged with no Florida proceeding. myokeeclerk.com
• Access to a decedent's safe deposit box is governed by §§ 655.935 and 733.6065, Florida Statutes, and Probate Rule 5.3425. myokeeclerk.com
• No attorney is needed to deposit a will, and a will cannot be deposited for safekeeping while the maker is alive. myokeeclerk.com

Judge Buchanan's probate procedures

• Probate questions and submissions go to the case manager at [email protected]. Hearing documents go to the judicial assistant at [email protected]. circuit19.org
• Checklists are required to open and to close an estate. An attorney signs each checklist personally; signature stamps are not allowed. circuit19.org
• The completed checklist, the proposed orders in Word format and a description of the documents and the action requested go by email only to [email protected]. Original documents and money are not sent to the judge's office. circuit19.org
• To set a probate matter for trial, the filer e-files a notice for trial and emails a copy to [email protected]; the court then schedules a case management conference. circuit19.org
• Before filing a motion in a probate case, the movant confers with the opposing party in good faith and ends the motion with a certificate of conferral. A notice of hearing also carries a good faith certification. circuit19.org
• Hearings under one hour are scheduled through the online scheduling system. Longer hearings are requested by email to [email protected] with the motion attached and the reason more time is needed. circuit19.org
• A notice of hearing is filed and served immediately after the time is reserved. The court must receive the motion and notice of hearing, and a proposed order for a uniform motion calendar hearing, within five days of scheduling, or the matter is stricken. circuit19.org

Forms and checklists

• Judge Buchanan procedures and probate division requirements, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit
• Checklist for Opening a Formal Administration (Judge Buchanan), Nineteenth Judicial Circuit
• Checklist for Closing a Formal Administration (Judge Buchanan), Nineteenth Judicial Circuit
• Checklist for Summary Administration (Judge Buchanan), Nineteenth Judicial Circuit
• Disposition of Personal Property without Administration petition (clerk), Okeechobee Clerk
• Probate forms on the circuit's Forms and Checklists page (Word files), Nineteenth Judicial Circuit

Property and homestead

• Homestead applications are due by March 1 along with renewals and all other exemptions. First-time filers bring the property description, Florida driver's license, Florida vehicle tag registration and Social Security number or card. okeechobeepa.com
• The appraiser's site offers online homestead exemption filing through its record search. okeechobeepa.com
• The property appraiser's office is at 409 NW 2nd Ave., Suite B, Okeechobee, telephone 863-763-4422, open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except holidays. okeechobeepa.com

Death certificates

• Death certificates are ordered through VitalChek, the only vendor the Department of Health authorizes online, or in person or by mail at the Okeechobee office. A copy of valid identification goes with every request. okeechobee.floridahealth.gov
• The Okeechobee County health department issues certificates for deaths in Florida from 2009 to the present. Earlier deaths are requested from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville or through VitalChek. Cause of death is released to family members and legal representatives. okeechobee.floridahealth.gov

Records and help

• Section 735.201(2), Florida Statutes, sets the summary administration limit at $150,000, or a decedent dead more than two years (chapter 2026-57). flsenate.gov
• The clerk's FAQ says the mail address for a request to find out whether a probate case is open on a decedent is The Clerk of Court, Probate Division, 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, FL 34972. The same information is available through the clerk's public record search. myokeeclerk.com
• The clerk's FAQ prints $75,000 as the summary administration limit, the figure that chapter 2026-57 replaced with $150,000 in § 735.201(2). myokeeclerk.com
• The online court records search offers public access without a login, and separate attorney, registered user and party access that needs a user ID and password. civitekflorida.com
• The circuit's court administration office is at 250 NW Country Club Dr., Suite 217, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34986. circuit19.org

Sources

Last checked: October 16, 2026. Each source shows the text that supports the facts above.

1. Florida Statutes § 28.2401, probate service charges and filing fees (2026), checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • Fee for formal administration, guardianship, ancillary, curatorship, or conservatorship proceedings .......... $395
   • Fee for summary administration - estates valued at $1,000 or more .......... $340
   • Fee for summary administration - estates valued at less than $1,000 .......... $230
   • Charge for caveat .......... $40
   • Fee for disposition of personal property without administration .......... $230
   • Fee for guardianship proceedings of person only .......... $230
   • Charge for exemplified certificates .......... $7
   • An additional service charge of $4 on petitions seeking summary administration, formal administration, ancillary administration, guardianship, curatorship, and conservatorship shall be paid to the clerk.
   • Recording shall be required for all petitions opening and closing an estate; petitions regarding real estate; and orders, letters, bonds, oaths, wills, proofs of wills, returns, and such other papers as the judge shall deem advisable to record or that shall be required to be recorded under the Florida Probate Code.
   • Fee for the opening of any estate of one document or more
   • not to exceed the following amounts
2. Florida Statutes § 735.201, summary administration (2026), checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • does not exceed $150,000 or that the decedent has been dead for more than 2 years
   • s. 7, ch. 2026-57
3. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal serves as a single, statewide access point connecting thousands of users to Florida's court system.
4. Florida Courts, Trial Courts (Circuit) list, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • Nineteenth Circuit - Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie

   Note: The circuit list is built by script on the page. The text was read in a browser on October 16, 2026.

5. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, home page, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • Serving Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and Saint Lucie counties.
   • The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit serves the Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties.
   • 250 NW Country Club, Dr. Suite 217 Port Saint Lucie, FL 34986
6. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Probate & Guardianship Division, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • The Probate Division covers estates, wills, trust litigation, and guardianships.
   • Hon. Steven J. Levin
   • Hon. Katherine Mish
   • Hon. Sherwood Bauer Jr.
   • Hon. Rebecca I. White
   • Hon. Laurie E. Buchanan
   • All pleadings, proposed orders, and communications must be submitted via email to the appropriate county address:
   • St. Lucie [email protected] Martin [email protected] Indian River [email protected] Okeechobee [email protected]
   • Subject line: Case number, estate name, and document type
   • Copy of filed pleadings
   • Proposed order in Microsoft Word
   • Completed checklist (for opening or closing estate)
   • Description of the requested court action
   • Note: You must open a probate case before submitting any documents. No ex parte communications will be forwarded to judges.
   • If the deceased was a Florida resident, file in the county of residence (see death certificate).
   • If not a Florida resident, file in the county where property is located.
   • Use the Florida Courts e-Filing Portal for most filings
   • Original Wills Original Codicils Original Death Certificates
   • Where do I file a will? With the Clerk's office in the county where the decedent lived.
   • Florida Probate Rules - Effective January 1, 2026 (PDF)
7. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Administrative Orders, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • 2026-03 Amended Judicial Assignments for 2026 (PDF) - Order 2026-03 Amended
   • 2025-06 Amended Magistrates and Hearing Officers (PDF) - Order 2025-06 Amended
   • 2026-06 Rescission of Administrative Order 2025-10; Use of Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings (PDF) - Order 2026-06
8. Amended Administrative Order 2026-03, Judicial Assignments for 2026, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • AMENDED ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2026-03
   • (Superseding Administrative Order 2025-08)
   • EFFECTIVE JANUARY 12, 2026
   • this 12th day of January, 2026
9. Amended Administrative Order 2025-06, Magistrates and Hearing Officers, checked October 16, 2026
   Supporting text

   • Probate and guardianship matters (Florida Probate Rules 5.095 and 5.697)
   • Each person listed in Appendix A is hereby appointed as a General Magistrate for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit
   • 4:48 pm, Oct 20, 2025
10. Appendix to Administrative Order 2025-06 (revised August 3, 2026), checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Originally issued: September 25, 2025 Revised: August 3, 2026
    • Lindsay Stroke Bruce Baillie Adrienne Fleming Kathryn Hill
11. Administrative Order 2026-06, Rescission of Administrative Order 2025-10, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Administrative Order 2025-10, In re: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings, is hereby RESCINDED, effective June 15, 2026
    • signers are reminded that they bear full responsibility for verifying the existence and accuracy of every legal authority cited in a filing
    • on this 16th day of June 2026
12. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Forms and Checklists, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Petition to Determine Homestead Intestate
    • Petition to Determine Exempt Property
    • Petition for Summary Administration Pro Se
    • Exhibit A - Schedule of Creditors and Provision for Payment
    • The following checklists are provided to assist litigants in managing the filing of forms related to their court cases.
13. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Courthouse Locations, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Okeechobee County Courthouse
    • 312 N.W. 3rd St., Okeechobee, FL 34972 863-763-2131
    • St Lucie County Courthouse - Main
    • 218 S 2nd St., Fort Pierce, FL 34950 772-462-6900
    • Indian River County Courthouse
    • 2000 16th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960 772-770-5185
    • Martin County Courthouse
    • 100 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL 34994 772-288-5576
14. Okeechobee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, Probate FAQs, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Probate FAQs
    • A small estate can be probated pro se.
    • you must be represented by an attorney unless the personal representative is an attorney or unless the personal representative is the sole person to receive assets from the estate.
    • Please mail your request to: The Clerk of Court, Probate Division, 312 NW 3 rd Street, Okeechobee, FL 34972.
    • Access to a decedent's safe deposit box is governed by Florida Statute 655.935, Florida Statute 733.6065, and Probate Rule 5.3425.
    • Letters of Administration are issued through the opening of a Formal Administration.
    • No. However, the custodian of the will may want to consult with an attorney before filing
    • A will cannot be deposited with the court for safekeeping if the will Maker is still alive.
    • There cannot be any real estate in the estate.
    • Itemized, paid funeral bill
    • Paid receipts for any medical expenses incurred 60 Days prior to death
    • A certified copy of the death certificate
    • Documents verifying the asset to be released
    • it must be filed with the Clerk and Comptroller, Okeechobee County, within 10 days of the notice of death
    • preferred funeral expenses (which are now $6,000)
    • This petition may only be filed if the decedent has been dead for more than two (2) years, OR it may be filed at any time after the domiciliary PR has been discharged if there has been no proceeding to administer the estate in Florida.
    • 312 NW 3rd Street Okeechobee, Florida 34972 863-763-2131
    • Office Hours : Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
    • E-Filing Portal
    • Summary Administration: May be filed when the value of the entire estate does not exceed $75,000, or when the decedent has been dead for more than 2 years.

    Note: The $75,000 limit printed on this page was replaced by $150,000 in § 735.201(2) (chapter 2026-57).

15. Okeechobee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, Fee Schedule, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Fee Schedule
    • Probate
    • 312 NW 3rd Street Okeechobee, Florida 34972 863-763-2131

    Note: The probate fee table loads when the Probate topic is selected. It reads: opening of any estate $231.00; Notice of Trust $41.00; Caveat $41.00; petition and order to admit foreign wills $231.00; disposition of personal property without administration $231.00; summary administration less than $1000.00 $235.00; summary administration $1000.00 or more $345.00; formal administration, guardianship, etc. $400.00; guardianship of person only $235.00; Veteran Administration guardianship $235.00; petition for determination of incapacity $231.00; indexing of wills filed for record only $1.00; re-open fee $50.00. The fee rows sit in the page's script, so an automated page fetch does not show them.

16. Okeechobee County Online Court Records Search, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Okeechobee County OCRS Online Court Records Search
    • This option allows for anonymous access to court records.
17. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Judge Laurie E. Buchanan, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Judge Laurie E. Buchanan
    • Circuit Judge
    • 312 NW 3rd Street, Okeechobee, FL 34972
    • Courtroom: B
    • Phone: (863) 763-1122
    • Okeechobee: One-half of all Domestic Relations Cases including Injunctions for Protection (all even assigned DR case numbers); All Civil Cases; All Probate and Guardianship Cases;
    • All Probate questions and submissions shall be directed to the case manager at [email protected]
    • those shall be submitted to the Court's Judicial Assistant by email to [email protected]
    • Checklists are required for both Opening and Closing Estates.
    • Attorneys must verify completion and correctness of the Checklists by personal signature. No signature stamps are allowed.
    • the attorney's office shall submit via email only to [email protected]
    • Original documents and monies are not to be sent to the Judge's office, and the Judge's office takes no responsibility for such items.
    • If a probate matter needs to be set for trial, a notice for trial shall be e-filed and a copy shall be submitted to the Court by email at [email protected] .
    • Before filing a motion, the movant must confer with the opposing party in a good-faith effort to resolve the issues raised in the motion.
    • Scheduling Hearings of less than 1-hour: Attorneys and pro se parties may schedule hearings using the online scheduling system
    • Any hearings that require more than one hour must be requested by email to [email protected] in writing
    • The court must receive a copy of the motion, notice of hearing, (and a proposed order if UMC hearing) within five (5) days of scheduling the hearing by email at [email protected] .
    • Failure to timely provide a copy of the notice, motion, (and proposed order if UMC hearing), to the Court will result in the matter being stricken from the docket.
    • A notice of hearing must be filed and served immediately after reserving hearing time.
    • The court uses Zoom for remote appearances.
18. Okeechobee County Property Appraiser, home page, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Okeechobee County Property Appraiser
    • Filing Deadline for ALL EXEMPTIONS and RENEWALS is March 1st
    • Online Homestead Exemption Filing is Now Available
19. Okeechobee County Property Appraiser, Property Tax Exemptions, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Every person who has legal or equitable title to real property in the State of Florida and in good faith makes it his or her permanent home is eligible to receive a homestead exemption
    • If filing for the first time, be prepared to provide the following information declaring that you were living in the dwelling which is being claimed for homestead exemption on January 1:
    • Property Description (Deed or Tax Bill).
    • Florida Driver's License(s).
    • Florida Vehicle Tag Registration(s).
    • Social Security Card(s) or number(s)
    • You may be asked to file a death certificate with the Okeechobee County Clerk of Court when filing for the first time.
20. Okeechobee County Property Appraiser, contact page, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Okeechobee County Property Appraiser 409 NW 2nd Ave Suite B Okeechobee, FL 34972 phone: 863-763-4422 hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm (Mon-Fri, except holidays)
21. Florida Department of Health in Okeechobee County, Death Certificates, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Order death certificates online through VitalChek
    • the only vendor authorized by the Florida Department of Health
    • Death Certificates are available for deaths occurring in the state of Florida from 2009 to present.
    • A legible copy of a valid driver's license, passport, state-issued ID, or military identification card must accompany all requests.
    • You must be a family member or legal representative when requesting cause of death.
    • $15 Death Certificate
    • Vital Statistics 863-462-5804
    • Mailing Address 1728 NW 9th Ave. Okeechobee, FL 34972-4340
22. Florida Department of Health in Okeechobee County, Location, checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Physical Address: 1728 NW 9th Ave., Okeechobee, FL 34972
    • Vital Statistics Office Monday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Thursday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday Closed Sunday Closed
    • Phone: 863-462-5800 (county health department main number)

    Note: The location page lists 863-462-5800 as the health department phone; the death certificate page lists 863-462-5804 as the Vital Statistics line, which the site uses for the vital records entry.

23. Checklist for Opening a Formal Administration (Judge Buchanan), checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Checklist for Opening a Formal Administration
    • Laurie E. Buchanan, Circuit Judge
24. Checklist for Closing a Formal Administration (Judge Buchanan), checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Checklist for Closing a Formal Administration
    • Laurie E. Buchanan, Circuit Judge
25. Checklist for Summary Administration (Judge Buchanan), checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • Checklist for Summary Administration
    • Laurie E. Buchanan, Circuit Judge
26. Disposition of Personal Property without Administration petition (clerk), checked October 16, 2026
    Supporting text

    • DISPOSITION OF PERSONAL PROPERTY WITHOUT
    • 735.301 Disposition without Administration