Not taking new clients until late October 2026Mon–Fri 8a–6p67 FL countiesFlat fees, published
★★★★★Florida Bar member · 9 years
← Florida service area
Tampa Bay & SW FL · Circuit 6

Pinellas County probate help.

We serve Pinellas County (including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, and surrounding areas) under the 6th Judicial Circuit, with the county seat in Clearwater. Probate, estate planning, and trust administration — all on flat fees, all remote-friendly.

Pinellas County sits on a peninsula on the west side of Tampa Bay — Gulf to the west, the bay to the east, connected to Hillsborough by causeways and Pasco at its northern boundary. About 960,000 residents packed into 280 sq mi makes it Florida's most densely populated county, all under the 6th Judicial Circuit (shared with Pasco).
— A probate attorney near you

Looking for a probate or estate planning attorney near you in Pinellas County?

We serve all of Pinellas County — St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, and the surrounding communities — with flat-fee probate, estate planning, wills, and trusts. Most of it happens by phone, email, and e-signature, so “near me” really means wherever you are in Pinellas County.New-client intake is closed until late October 2026; the Pinellas County filing details on this page stay free to use.

— At a glance

Where you'll go. What you'll need.

The courthouse
St. Petersburg Judicial Building
Address545 First Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701Phone(727) 464-7000HoursMonday–Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm

Probate is filed and heard primarily at the St. Petersburg location, not the Clearwater Justice Center. Hours close at 4:30pm — earlier than most FL clerks. E-filing via myflcourtaccess.com.

Death certificates
FL Department of Health in Pinellas · Vital Statistics
Address8751 Ulmerton Rd, Suite 1700, Largo, FL 33771Phone(727) 507-4330HoursMonday–Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm (walk-in cutoff 4:00pm)
Cost · $15 first certified copy · $8 each additional · order 8–12 copies for an estate

Order 8–12 certified copies — banks, title companies, the IRS, and the court each need their own. Ordering more upfront saves trips back later.

— Local notes

Probate in Pinellas County, as we see it.

Pinellas runs older, denser, and more retiree-heavy than almost any county in our service area. The median age sits near 50, the housing stock is condo- and townhome-heavy, and the volume of summary administration and small-estate work here is among the highest in Florida. The 2026 reform doubling the threshold to $150k brought a lot more Pinellas estates into the fast path.

Probate cases are filed and heard primarily at the St. Petersburg Judicial Building (545 First Ave N) — the county seat is Clearwater, but probate operations sit on the St. Pete side. The 6th Judicial Circuit is shared with Pasco, so administrative orders sometimes reference judges who also sit there. Filing-to-order timelines run roughly 6–9 weeks for clean summary cases.

Hurricane Helene (September 2024) is still in the background of a meaningful share of cases. The barrier islands — Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Redington Shores, parts of St. Pete Beach — saw widespread storm-surge damage. Many current estates involve damaged or condemned properties, FEMA/insurance proceeds, and rebuild-vs-sell decisions. We work these case-by-case.

— What's different about probate here

Local quirks worth knowing.

  • 6th Judicial Circuit (shared with Pasco). Filings, hearings, and the local docket are Pinellas-specific, but administrative orders often span both counties.
  • Densest county in Florida. Estates here are condo-heavy — HOA estoppel, condo-association payoff, and special-assessment issues come up in nearly every administration.
  • Among the oldest counties by median age. High volume of retiree estates means heavy summary administration and small-estate work; many decedents are Northern transplants whose primary records are out-of-state.
  • Hurricane Helene aftermath. Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Redington Shores, parts of St. Pete Beach saw significant 2024 storm-surge damage. Insurance claims and condemned properties recur throughout current estates.
  • Two voluntary bars. Pinellas has both the Clearwater Bar and the St. Petersburg Bar — different referral services, different CLE programming. We coordinate with whichever fits the case.
— Cities & neighborhoods

Local where you live — Pinellas County, top to bottom.

St. Petersburg
Largest city (~260K). Arts district, downtown waterfront, the Pier. Probate filings centralize here.
Clearwater
County seat; ~117K. Includes Clearwater Beach. Property appraiser & tax collector are here, but probate is in St. Pete.
Largo
Central Pinellas (~85K). Mix of long-time residents and retirees; vital records office is here.
Dunedin
Small coastal city (~36K) north of Clearwater. Walkable downtown, Honeymoon Island access.
Palm Harbor
North-county unincorporated (~60K). Suburban, golf-oriented (Innisbrook). Higher-value homes.
Tarpon Springs
Greek-heritage sponge-docks community in the far north. Tight-knit, generationally rooted families.
Belleair · Indian Rocks · Belleair Beach
Affluent barrier-island and bayfront enclaves; high-value waterfront estates.
Treasure Island · Madeira Beach · St. Pete Beach
Barrier islands. Heavy 2024 Helene damage; many ongoing post-storm estates.
— Other helpful local contacts

Save these to your phone.

Pinellas County Property Appraiser
Address315 Court St, 2nd Floor, Clearwater, FL 33756Phone(727) 464-3207

Homestead exemption, Save Our Homes portability — many post-Helene rebuild questions

Pinellas County Tax Collector
Address315 Court St, 3rd Floor, Clearwater, FL 33756Phone(727) 464-7777

Vehicle title transfers, property tax, business tax receipts

Clearwater Bar Association
Address800 Drew St, Clearwater, FL 33755Phone(727) 461-4880

Lawyer referral for north-county matters

St. Petersburg Bar Association

Lawyer referral for south-county matters

Florida Unclaimed Property

Search forgotten accounts in the deceased's name

Morton Plant Hospital (BayCare) — Records

Medical records release for estate claims

— Take this with you

One-tap kit for Pinellas County probate.

Save Pinellas probate contacts to your phone (.vcf)
.vcf

Adds the firm + courthouse + vital records + property appraiser + tax collector to your phone contacts in one tap.

Download
Pinellas probate quick-reference (PDF kit)
Coming soon

Single-page printable cheatsheet — courthouse address, hours, where to get death certificates, our contact, top 5 first-call resources.

Notify me when ready
Intake paused · reopens late October 2026

You're going to get through this.

Rachel is not accepting new clients until late October 2026. Every guide, calculator, county page, and statute page here stays free. Leave your details and we'll call when intake reopens — or, if your matter can't wait, The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service refers you to another Florida attorney taking cases now.

Florida Bar #127500RPPTL SectionSarasota Bar AssociationFL Assoc. Women Lawyers