Post on 23-Mar-2021
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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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6-20 FY 2019-20 Statistical Reference Guide