Florida Statute 735.203 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XLII
ESTATES AND TRUSTS

Chapter 735
PROBATE CODE: SMALL ESTATES

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735.203 Petition for summary administration.—

(1) A petition for summary administration may be filed by any beneficiary or person nominated as personal representative in the decedent’s will offered for probate. The petition must be signed and verified by the surviving spouse, if any, and any beneficiaries except that the joinder in a petition for summary administration is not required of a beneficiary who will receive a full distributive share under the proposed distribution. However, formal notice of the petition must be served on a beneficiary not joining in the petition.

(2) If a person named in subsection (1) has died, is incapacitated, or is a minor, or has conveyed or transferred all interest in the property of the estate, then, as to that person, the petition must be signed and verified by:

(a) The personal representative, if any, of a deceased person or, if none, the surviving spouse, if any, and the beneficiaries;

(b) The guardian of an incapacitated person or a minor; or

(c) The grantee or transferee of any of them shall be authorized to sign and verify the petition instead of the beneficiary or surviving spouse.

(3) If each trustee of a trust that is a beneficiary of the estate of the deceased person is also a petitioner, formal notice of the petition for summary administration shall be served on each qualified beneficiary of the trust as defined in s. 736.0103 unless joinder in, or consent to, the petition is obtained from each qualified beneficiary of the trust.

History.—s. 1, ch. 74-106; s. 107, ch. 75-220; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 180, ch. 2001-226; s. 12, ch. 2009-115; s. 16, ch. 2010-132.

Note.—Created from former s. 735.05.

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Amendments to 735.203

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 735.203

Total Results: 9 | Sort by: Relevance | Newest First

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Wolf v. Doll, 229 So. 3d 1280 (Fla. 4th DCA 2017).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

...000 or that the decedent has been dead for more than 2 years.” § 735,201, Fla. Stat. (2013). To initiate a summary administration proceeding,, any beneficiary or person nominated as personal representative may petition for summary administration. § 735.203(1), Fla....

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JONES-BISHOP v. Est. of Sweeney, 27 So. 3d 176 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 974, 2010 WL 391245

...de a determination of beneficiaries. It is from that order that the Appellant appeals. The Appellee's position is that the Appellant had no standing to file the petition for summary administration as she is not one of the proper parties set forth in section 735.203(1), Florida Statutes (2008), authorized to bring the petition....

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Florida Bar, 537 So. 2d 500 (Fla. 1988).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 13 Fla. L. Weekly 601, 1988 Fla. LEXIS 1463, 1988 WL 143178

...Committee notes revised. Citation form change in committee notes. Statutory References F.S. 731.104 Verification of documents. F.S. 731.201 General definitions. F.S. 733.202 Petition. F.S. 733.604(2) Inventory. F.S. 735.103 Petition for family administration. F.S. 735.203 Petition for summary administration....

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Florida Bar, 531 So. 2d 1261 (Fla. 1988).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 13 Fla. L. Weekly 601, 1988 Fla. LEXIS 1475, 1988 WL 53983

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In Re Amendments to the Florida Prob. Rules, 50 So. 3d 578 (Fla. 2010).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 35 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 482, 2010 Fla. LEXIS 1455, 2010 WL 3431722

...§ 731.104, Fla. Stat. Verification of documents. § 731.201, Fla. Stat. General definitions. § 733.202, Fla. Stat. Petition. § 733.604(1), Fla. Stat. Inventory Inventories and accountings; public records exemptions. § 733.901, Fla. Stat. Final discharge. § 735.203, Fla....

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Rosalie Wolf v. Jo Ann Doll (Fla. 4th DCA 2017).

Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

...$75,000 or that the decedent has been dead for more than 2 years.” § 735.201, Fla. Stat. (2013). To initiate a summary administration proceeding, any beneficiary or person nominated as personal representative may petition for summary administration. § 735.203(1), Fla....

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Amendments to the Florida Prob. Rules, 848 So. 2d 1069 (Fla. 2003).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 28 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 495, 2003 Fla. LEXIS 1063, 2003 WL 21402500

...Verification of documents. § 731.201, Fla. Stat. General definitions. § 733.202, Fla. Stat. Petition. § 733.604(21), Fla. Stat. Inventory. § 733.901, Fla. Stat. Distribution; flFinal discharge. § 735A03, Fla. Stat. Petition for family administration. § 735.203, Fla....

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In Re Amend. to Florida Prob. Rules, 986 So. 2d 576 (Fla. 2008).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 33 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 542, 2008 Fla. LEXIS 1242, 2008 WL 2686339

...Capacity; appointment of guardian advocate. § 731.104, Fla. Stat. Verification of documents. § 731.201, Fla. Stat. General definitions. § 733.202, Fla. Stat. Petition. § 733.604(1), Fla. Stat. Inventory. § 733.901, Fla. Stat. Final discharge. § 735.203, Fla....

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Mosley v. Thomas, 402 So. 2d 594 (Fla. 4th DCA 1981).

Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1981 Fla. App. LEXIS 20931

the inventory of the property of the estate. Section 735.203(2)(b), Florida Statutes (1979), also requires