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Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Overview

The Probate division includes the following four categories of probate cases: probate, trusts, commitment acts, and guardianship. Within these categories are the following case types:

Probate - probate and other social cases (examples of other social cases include: developmental disability, tuberculosis control, Adult Protective Services Act, and other similar events) Trusts - trusts Commitment Acts - Baker Act and Substance Abuse Act Guardianship - adult and minor guardianship

In the Probate division, filings correspond to each petition filed. Dispositions correspond to each petition disposed.

PROBATE FILINGS AND DISPOSITIONS FY 2010-11 to FY 2019-20

140,000

133,009 132,284

100,849

101,634

107,173

114,046 115,746

118,989

122,498

126,068

102,116

108,480 111,717

113,793

123,385

128,217 126,425

100,000

120,000

98,050 97,127 97,051

80,000 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20

Fiscal Year

Filings Dispositions

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-1

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS Statewide by Category/Case Type and Month

FY 2019-20

Category/ Case Type Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total

A. Probate 5,883 5,656 5,014 5,890 4,756 4,612 5,587 5,654 5,585 4,675 4,933 5,871 64,116

1. Probate 5,349 5,044 4,484 5,287 4,292 4,175 5,044 5,160 5,049 4,245 4,503 5,365 57,997

2. Other Social Cases 534 612 530 603 464 437 543 494 536 430 430 506 6,119

B. Trusts 53 79 45 85 73 77 62 65 76 50 51 74 790

1. Trusts 53 79 45 85 73 77 62 65 76 50 51 74 790

C. Commitment Acts 5,162 5,016 4,946 5,362 4,477 4,960 5,296 5,042 5,141 4,325 4,529 5,246 59,502

1. Baker Act 4,269 4,153 4,074 4,508 3,841 4,226 4,458 4,273 4,407 3,798 3,859 4,368 50,234

2. Substance Abuse 893 863 872 854 636 734 838 769 734 527 670 878 9,268

D. Guardianship 717 713 671 771 607 580 712 633 661 507 589 715 7,876

1. Guardianship 717 713 671 771 607 580 712 633 661 507 589 715 7,876

Total 11,815 11,464 10,676 12,108 9,913 10,229 11,657 11,394 11,463 9,557 10,102 11,906 132,284

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-2

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS by Category

FY 2019-20

Probate 48.4%

Guardianship 6.0%

Commitment Acts 45.0%

PROBATE FILINGS by Circuit Size*

FY 2019-20

Trusts 0.6%

Small Medium (1,976 Average) (6,228 Average)

7.5% 33.0%

Very Large Large (11,884 Average)

(9,174 Average) 18.0% 41.5%

*Small Circuits - 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 14th, 16th;

Medium Circuits - 1st, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 18th, 19th; Large Circuits - 4th, 6th, 9th, 13th, 15th, 20th; and

Very Large Circuits - 11th, 17th (as defined in the Glossary).

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-3

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Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS by Circuit and Case Type

FY 2019-20

Circuit Probate Baker Act Substance Abuse Other Social

Cases Guardianship Trusts Total

1 2,394 1,816 390 105 257 7 4,969

2 1,116 1,195 161 182 147 19 2,820

3 612 730 151 42 71 2 1,608

4 3,129 2,649 444 180 556 84 7,042

5 4,682 2,700 485 197 490 13 8,567

6 5,245 6,499 335 305 558 72 13,014

7 3,533 1,611 798 203 431 23 6,599

8 990 1,557 146 150 181 6 3,030

9 2,802 2,601 471 318 659 18 6,869

10 2,429 2,662 470 324 326 12 6,223

11 4,085 4,467 756 2,505 927 48 12,788

12 3,356 2,522 1,056 204 383 76 7,597

13 2,844 5,107 906 170 487 36 9,550

14 1,260 380 196 35 99 4 1,974

15 4,543 2,014 639 201 499 167 8,063

16 341 52 26 10 17 0 446

17 3,768 5,480 833 335 502 62 10,980

18 2,963 1,231 543 217 511 48 5,513

19 2,547 891 224 130 271 66 4,129

20 5,358 4,070 238 306 504 27 10,503

Total 57,997 50,234 9,268 6,119 7,876 790 132,284

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-4

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 1 2,499 7 2,206 257 4,969

Escambia 1,091 3 1,403 101 2,598

Okaloosa 572 2 576 86 1,236

Santa Rosa 496 1 179 52 728

Walton 340 1 48 18 407

Circuit 2 1,298 19 1,356 147 2,820

Franklin 56 0 24 7 87

Gadsden 292 18 65 48 423

Jefferson 56 0 9 3 68

Leon 783 0 1,223 78 2,084

Liberty 18 0 14 1 33

Wakulla 93 1 21 10 125

Circuit 3 654 2 881 71 1,608

Columbia 193 0 705 31 929

Dixie 64 2 22 5 93

Hamilton 58 0 18 4 80

Lafayette 23 0 8 3 34

Madison 96 0 25 3 124

Suwannee 139 0 53 20 212

Taylor 81 0 50 5 136

Circuit 4 3,309 84 3,093 556 7,042

Clay 555 47 236 101 939

Duval 2,441 37 2,802 422 5,702

Nassau 313 0 55 33 401

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-5

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 5 4,879 13 3,185 490 8,567

Citrus 833 5 126 64 1,028

Hernando 846 0 1,485 96 2,427

Lake 1,215 4 796 144 2,159

Marion 1,426 3 746 162 2,337

Sumter 559 1 32 24 616

Circuit 6 5,550 72 6,834 558 13,014

Pasco 1,743 7 3,366 188 5,304

Pinellas 3,807 65 3,468 370 7,710

Circuit 7 3,736 23 2,409 431 6,599

Flagler 457 2 80 64 603

Putnam 350 0 94 26 470

St. Johns 660 8 269 100 1,037

Volusia 2,269 13 1,966 241 4,489

Circuit 8 1,140 6 1,703 181 3,030

Alachua 624 1 1,584 125 2,334

Baker 162 0 34 18 214

Bradford 92 1 26 17 136

Gilchrist 55 0 8 5 68

Levy 178 4 42 13 237

Union 29 0 9 3 41

Circuit 9 3,120 18 3,072 659 6,869

Orange 2,257 17 2,691 517 5,482

Osceola 863 1 381 142 1,387

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-6

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 10 2,753 12 3,132 326 6,223

Hardee 55 0 55 5 115

Highlands 671 0 87 35 793

Polk 2,027 12 2,990 286 5,315

Circuit 11 6,590 48 5,223 927 12,788

Miami-Dade 6,590 48 5,223 927 12,788

Circuit 12 3,560 76 3,578 383 7,597

Desoto 144 0 19 10 173

Manatee 1,272 0 800 143 2,215

Sarasota 2,144 76 2,759 230 5,209

Circuit 13 3,014 36 6,013 487 9,550

Hillsborough 3,014 36 6,013 487 9,550

Circuit 14 1,295 4 576 99 1,974

Bay 736 2 386 54 1,178

Calhoun 45 1 15 4 65

Gulf 75 0 38 4 117

Holmes 86 0 24 4 114

Jackson 252 1 84 26 363

Washington 101 0 29 7 137

Circuit 15 4,744 167 2,653 499 8,063

Palm Beach 4,744 167 2,653 499 8,063

Circuit 16 351 0 78 17 446

Monroe 351 0 78 17 446

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-7

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Filings

PROBATE FILINGS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 17 4,103 62 6,313 502 10,980

Broward 4,103 62 6,313 502 10,980

Circuit 18 3,180 48 1,774 511 5,513

Brevard 2,123 36 867 300 3,326

Seminole 1,057 12 907 211 2,187

Circuit 19 2,677 66 1,115 271 4,129

Indian River 754 15 202 76 1,047

Martin 658 10 140 57 865

Okeechobee 153 0 70 16 239

St. Lucie 1,112 41 703 122 1,978

Circuit 20 5,664 27 4,308 504 10,503

Charlotte 1,084 0 1,218 93 2,395

Collier 1,710 14 693 173 2,590

Glades 47 0 27 1 75

Hendry 95 1 28 10 134

Lee 2,728 12 2,342 227 5,309

Total 64,116 790 59,502 7,876 132,284

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-8

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Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS Statewide by Category/Case Type and Month

FY 2019-20

Category/ Case Type Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total

A. Probate 5,332 5,404 4,710 5,988 4,838 5,326 5,830 4,796 4,978 4,650 4,587 5,175 61,614

1. Probate 4,829 4,950 4,290 5,550 4,480 4,912 5,415 4,392 4,631 4,377 4,316 4,799 56,941

2. Other Social Cases 503 454 420 438 358 414 415 404 347 273 271 376 4,673

B. Trusts 48 47 56 67 52 66 57 46 65 55 48 58 665

1. Trusts 48 47 56 67 52 66 57 46 65 55 48 58 665

C. Commitment Acts 5,135 5,070 4,525 5,479 4,420 4,675 5,159 4,758 4,882 4,245 4,276 4,782 57,406

1. Baker Act 4,137 4,182 3,735 4,544 3,678 3,942 4,375 3,992 4,122 3,670 3,665 3,893 47,935

2. Substance Abuse 998 888 790 935 742 733 784 766 760 575 611 889 9,471

D. Guardianship 640 671 536 702 526 576 572 547 531 415 427 597 6,740

1. Guardianship 640 671 536 702 526 576 572 547 531 415 427 597 6,740

Total 11,155 11,192 9,827 12,236 9,836 10,643 11,618 10,147 10,456 9,365 9,338 10,612 126,425

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-9

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Category

FY 2019-20

Probate 48.8%

Guardianship 5.3%

Commitment Acts 45.4%

Trusts 0.5%

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Circuit Size*

FY 2019-20

Medium Small (5,975 Average)

20.3%

(1,638 Average) 6.5%

33.1%

Large (8,455 Average)

40.1% Very Large

(12,843 Average)

*Small Circuits - 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 14th, 16th;

Medium Circuits - 1st, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 18th, 19th;

Large Circuits - 4th, 6th, 9th, 13th, 15th, 20th; and

Very Large Circuits - 11th, 17th (as defined in the Glossary).

6-10 FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide

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Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Circuit and Case Type

FY 2019-20

Circuit Probate Baker Act Substance Abuse Other Social

Cases Guardianship Trusts Total

1 2,299 1,748 388 91 222 5 4,753

2 876 1,187 151 185 123 16 2,538

3 389 704 112 36 43 0 1,284

4 2,624 2,657 422 132 392 29 6,256

5 4,425 2,675 482 195 388 14 8,179

6 5,124 6,460 327 301 513 72 12,797

7 3,518 1,593 828 211 342 23 6,515

8 730 1,517 129 40 98 3 2,517

9 2,852 2,487 470 295 560 20 6,684

10 2,334 2,683 822 284 258 9 6,390

11 5,449 4,508 834 1,536 1,016 61 13,404

12 3,137 2,312 1,041 176 347 52 7,065

13 2,685 5,055 875 171 448 36 9,270

14 972 305 136 26 50 5 1,494

15 3,730 1,245 645 160 462 120 6,362

16 278 47 14 6 10 0 355

17 5,548 5,049 878 309 448 49 12,281

18 2,696 1,138 522 185 400 37 4,978

19 2,572 743 207 99 232 90 3,943

20 4,703 3,822 188 235 388 24 9,360

Total 56,941 47,935 9,471 4,673 6,740 665 126,425

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-11

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 1 2,390 5 2,136 222 4,753

Escambia 1,104 2 1,387 93 2,586

Okaloosa 508 2 524 71 1,105

Santa Rosa 474 0 179 49 702

Walton 304 1 46 9 360

Circuit 2 1,061 16 1,338 123 2,538

Franklin 24 0 21 1 46

Gadsden 314 16 63 48 441

Jefferson 25 0 9 0 34

Leon 688 0 1,212 72 1,972

Liberty 9 0 13 0 22

Wakulla 1 0 20 2 23

Circuit 3 425 0 816 43 1,284

Columbia 166 0 697 23 886

Dixie 10 0 3 0 13

Hamilton 24 0 12 0 36

Lafayette 0 0 0 0 0

Madison 66 0 20 2 88

Suwannee 97 0 37 10 144

Taylor 62 0 47 8 117

Circuit 4 2,756 29 3,079 392 6,256

Clay 453 0 173 37 663

Duval 2,052 29 2,855 334 5,270

Nassau 251 0 51 21 323

6-12 FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 5 4,620 14 3,157 388 8,179

Citrus 757 5 122 49 933

Hernando 983 0 1,465 88 2,536

Lake 1,123 4 801 103 2,031

Marion 1,310 4 738 132 2,184

Sumter 447 1 31 16 495

Circuit 6 5,425 72 6,787 513 12,797

Pasco 1,677 7 3,352 178 5,214

Pinellas 3,748 65 3,435 335 7,583

Circuit 7 3,729 23 2,421 342 6,515

Flagler 439 2 50 40 531

Putnam 365 0 164 31 560

St. Johns 734 11 270 88 1,103

Volusia 2,191 10 1,937 183 4,321

Circuit 8 770 3 1,646 98 2,517

Alachua 478 0 1,553 78 2,109

Baker 22 0 15 1 38

Bradford 82 0 26 8 116

Gilchrist 6 0 2 0 8

Levy 161 3 40 8 212

Union 21 0 10 3 34

Circuit 9 3,147 20 2,957 560 6,684

Orange 2,263 17 2,563 415 5,258

Osceola 884 3 394 145 1,426

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-13

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 10 2,618 9 3,505 258 6,390

Hardee 35 0 28 1 64

Highlands 691 0 74 38 803

Polk 1,892 9 3,403 219 5,523

Circuit 11 6,985 61 5,342 1,016 13,404

Miami-Dade 6,985 61 5,342 1,016 13,404

Circuit 12 3,313 52 3,353 347 7,065

Desoto 125 0 17 4 146

Manatee 1,137 0 883 128 2,148

Sarasota 2,051 52 2,453 215 4,771

Circuit 13 2,856 36 5,930 448 9,270

Hillsborough 2,856 36 5,930 448 9,270

Circuit 14 998 5 441 50 1,494

Bay 583 3 265 22 873

Calhoun 28 1 15 3 47

Gulf 79 0 35 7 121

Holmes 44 0 23 3 70

Jackson 178 1 88 15 282

Washington 86 0 15 0 101

Circuit 15 3,890 120 1,890 462 6,362

Palm Beach 3,890 120 1,890 462 6,362

Circuit 16 284 0 61 10 355

Monroe 284 0 61 10 355

6-14 FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Circuit/County and Category

FY 2019-20

Circuit/County Probate Trusts Commitment Acts Guardianship Total

Circuit 17 5,857 49 5,927 448 12,281

Broward 5,857 49 5,927 448 12,281

Circuit 18 2,881 37 1,660 400 4,978

Brevard 1,959 31 795 213 2,998

Seminole 922 6 865 187 1,980

Circuit 19 2,671 90 950 232 3,943

Indian River 692 19 196 69 976

Martin 667 13 141 48 869

Okeechobee 112 0 52 12 176

St. Lucie 1,200 58 561 103 1,922

Circuit 20 4,938 24 4,010 388 9,360

Charlotte 950 0 1,052 60 2,062

Collier 1,498 15 688 135 2,336

Glades 38 0 24 0 62

Hendry 62 0 21 3 86

Lee 2,390 9 2,225 190 4,814

Total 61,614 665 57,406 6,740 126,425

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-15

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Dispositions

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS Statewide by Disposition Type and Case Type

FY 2019-20

Disposition Type Probate Baker Act Substance Abuse

Other Social Cases Guardianship Trusts Total

A. Disposed Before Hearing

27,063 24,739 3,914 460 762 201 57,139

B. Disposed by Judge (no trial)

29,346 15,353 5,287 3,128 5,073 368 58,555

C. Disposed by Non-Jury 99 1,647 92 327 711 2 2,878

D. Disposed by Other 433 6,196 178 758 194 94 7,853

Total 56,941 47,935 9,471 4,673 6,740 665 126,425

PROBATE DISPOSITIONS by Disposition Type

FY 2019-20

Disposed Before

Other 6.2%

Judge (no trial) 46.3%

Hearing 45.2%

Non-Jury (bench or judge

trial) 2.3%

6-16 FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Other Statistics

The Probate division also includes other statistics such as clearance rates and reopenings. These data are provided by the 67 clerks of court. However, special proceedings data is not audited for accuracy by the OSCA.

Clearance Rates - The clearance rate is a useful measure of the responsiveness of a court to the demand for services, and is nationally recognized as a measure of court performance. The rate is determined by dividing the total number of cases disposed by the total number of cases filed during a specific time period. If a court received 1,000 new cases a month and disposed of 900 cases within the same month, the clearance rate for that month would be 90%. A 100% clearance rate means that a court is disposing of at least as many cases as have been filed during the reporting period. Thus, where clearance rates exceed 100%, those circuits are actually disposing of cases more quickly than cases are being filed for the period in question.

Reopenings - A reopening occurs when a case that has previously been reported as disposed is resubmitted to the court through a motion or petition.

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide 6-17

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator

Probate Other Statistics

PROBATE CLEARANCE RATES by Circuit FY 2019-20

Circuit Filings Dispositions Clearance Rates

1 4,969 4,753 95.7%

2 2,820 2,538 90.0%

3 1,608 1,284 79.9%

4 7,042 6,256 88.8%

5 8,567 8,179 95.5%

6 13,014 12,797 98.3%

7 6,599 6,515 98.7%

8 3,030 2,517 83.1%

9 6,869 6,684 97.3%

10 6,223 6,390 102.7%

11 12,788 13,404 104.8%

12 7,597 7,065 93.0%

13 9,550 9,270 97.1%

14 1,974 1,494 75.7%

15 8,063 6,362 78.9%

16 446 355 79.6%

17 10,980 12,281 111.8%

18 5,513 4,978 90.3%

19 4,129 3,943 95.5%

20 10,503 9,360 89.1%

Total 132,284 126,425 95.6%

6-18 FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Other Statistics

PROBATE SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS by Circuit FY 2019-20

Circuit Reopenings

1 2,719

2 1,817

3 166

4 1,641

5 4,425

6 7,406

7 3,129

8 1,732

9 7,825

10 2,214

11 44,546

12 4,421

13 6,409

14 479

15 11,020

16 37

17 518

18 5,495

19 1,812

20 4,500

Total 112,311

FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference 6-19

• Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator Probate Other Statistics

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