Florida’s summary administration dollar limit doubled on July 1, 2026, and many families still don’t know it. If a friend, a bank, or an old article told you that a Florida estate has to be worth $75,000 or less to skip formal probate, that figure is now outdated. The current threshold is $150,000 in non-exempt probate assets, and knowing the difference could determine whether your family qualifies for a much faster, less expensive path through the court system.
At Preservation Law Firm, Attorney Adam Rauman has worked with Florida families navigating probate and estate administration for years, and questions about summary administration have come up more than ever since the law changed. Whether you’re researching this for a parent’s estate or figuring out next steps after a recent loss, what follows is a plain-language explanation of how this process works, who qualifies, and what can disqualify an estate even when the dollar amount looks right on paper.
The Two Ways a Florida Estate Can Qualify
Under Fla. Stat. 735.201, a Florida estate qualifies for summary administration in one of two ways: either the value of non-exempt probate assets is $150,000 or less, or the decedent has been dead for more than two years. That second path carries no dollar cap at all. The reason comes down to creditors: Fla. Stat. 733.710 generally bars creditor claims filed more than two years after a person’s death, so once that window closes, Florida law allows any estate, regardless of size, to proceed through summary administration.
What Counts Toward the $150,000 Threshold
The dollar figure doesn’t include everything the decedent owned. Under Fla. Stat. 732.402, several categories of property are classified as exempt and subtracted before you calculate whether an estate meets the threshold.
Exempt property categories include:
- Florida homestead property
- Up to $20,000 in household furniture, furnishings, and appliances
- Two motor vehicles held in the decedent’s name and regularly used by the decedent or members of the decedent’s immediate family as their personal motor vehicles
A family might look at a parent’s estate worth $180,000 and assume summary administration is out of reach, when in fact the homestead and two vehicles bring the probate asset total well under the limit. Running that calculation accurately, against actual account statements and asset records, is where the analysis starts.
Why the Date of Death Controls Which Threshold Applies
The $150,000 limit comes from CS/HB 1337, signed April 29, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026. Before that date, the figure had been $75,000 since 2001. For most families who lost someone after July 1, 2026, the new number applies without question. For families dealing with a death that occurred before that date, the picture is less clear.
Legal analyses of the new statute are divided on whether the applicable threshold is tied to the decedent’s date of death or to the date the petition is filed. Some attorneys read the law as date-of-death-based, meaning an estate for someone who died without a will in Florida on June 15, 2026 would still be evaluated under the old $75,000 limit, even if the family files the petition in August 2026 or later. Others argue that because the bill contains no restriction to later deaths, the new threshold applies to any petition filed on or after July 1, 2026, regardless of when the decedent died. Because this question hasn’t been uniformly resolved, we strongly recommend confirming which figure governs before assuming eligibility.
Three Things That Can Rule Out Summary Administration
Even an estate that meets the dollar test can be disqualified by factors that have nothing to do with value. These are the three most common barriers we see.
The Will Directs Formal Administration
If the decedent’s will contains language specifically directing that the estate be administered under Chapter 733, the court won’t permit summary administration regardless of estate size. This isn’t common, but it does appear in older documents, and it’s worth reviewing the will carefully before filing.
Creditors Haven’t Been Addressed
When the two-year creditor bar hasn’t yet elapsed, the petitioner must deal with known and reasonably ascertainable creditors before the court will enter an Order of Summary Administration. This can be handled by publishing a Notice to Creditors under Fla. Stat. 735.2063, or by the petitioner accepting personal liability for claims that could still arise within the two-year window. Neither option eliminates the creditor exposure. They just define how it’s handled.
The Estate Needs Ongoing Authority
Summary administration doesn’t result in the appointment of a personal representative. No one receives Letters of Administration. That’s efficient when an estate is straightforward, but it becomes a problem when someone needs ongoing authority, such as to sell real property through a title company that requires an active personal representative, to pursue a claim the decedent had against a third party, or to manage a dispute with a creditor. In those situations, formal administration under Florida Probate Code Chapter 733 is the right path, even if the estate is small enough to qualify for summary.
Who Signs the Petition & Where Largo Families File
The Petition for Summary Administration isn’t something one family member can sign alone. Under Fla. Stat. 735.203, the petition must be signed and verified by the surviving spouse, if there is one, and by every beneficiary who isn’t receiving their full distributive share of the estate. If a required beneficiary refuses to sign, the petition can’t be filed as submitted, though the statute does provide that formal notice of the petition may instead be served on a non-joining beneficiary. Either way, confirming family agreement early avoids unnecessary complications later.
For Largo families, the filing location is determined by how the Sixth Judicial Circuit assigns Pinellas County cases by ZIP code. Largo’s ZIP codes (including 33770, 33771, 33774, 33778, and 33779) are assigned to the Clearwater courthouse sections rather than St. Petersburg. That means Largo-area probate matters are generally heard at the Clearwater Courthouse, located at 315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756. Filing at the wrong courthouse adds delay, so confirming the correct venue before submitting anything is worth the extra step.
Once a complete and properly executed petition is filed, summary administration can move quickly. An Order of Summary Administration, which is the court’s directive to distribute assets directly to beneficiaries, can sometimes be entered within weeks. That timeline reflects how the process is designed to work; individual cases vary based on court scheduling, creditor issues, and the completeness of the petition as filed. That’s a meaningful contrast to formal administration, which involves a mandatory creditor claim period and typically takes months from filing to distribution.
Making Sure the Numbers Actually Work for Your Family
Whether an estate qualifies for summary administration almost always comes down to a document-by-document review: which assets are exempt, whether the date of death means the old threshold applies, whether the will contains language redirecting to formal administration, and whether creditor claims need to be addressed before an order can be entered. Getting any one of those questions wrong can mean filing a petition the court can’t grant, or accepting personal liability for claims you didn’t anticipate. If you’re trying to work out which path fits your family’s situation, Attorney Adam Rauman is available for a complimentary consultation, including virtual sessions, and can walk you through the details specific to your estate. Reach our team at Preservation Law Firm by calling (727) 955-3872.