Florida Probate Court - Columbia County Probate Court
Columbia County is located at the northern end of the state of Florida and borders the state of Georgia. It was created in 1832 and was named for Christopher Columbus. The county seat is Lake City. The county website is www.columbiacountyfla.com. Dale Williams is the County Manager and the physical address of the Manager's office is 135 Hernando Ave., Ste. 203, Lake City, FL 32055. The Managers phone number is (386) 758-1005. The population as of the year 2000 was 56,513 and in area it covers 801 square miles. The County is divided up into 5 districts. Each district elects a commissioner to represent them when establishing county policy. The following are the County Commissioners: Ronald Williams, district 1; Dewey Weaver, district 2; George Skinner, district 3; Stephen E. Bailey, district 4 and Elizabeth Porter, district 5.
The current Clerk of the Circuit Court is P. DeWitt Cason and he can be reached at (386) 758-1342. The physical address of the Court House is 173 NE Hernando Ave., Lake City, Florida 32055. The web site for the Columbia County Clerk of the Circuit Court is http://www2.myfloridacounty.com/wps/wcm/connect/columbiaclerk/home/. The web site provides helpful information and explains many of the legal terms people use. It contains a list of the different departments and gives contact information for each one.
The probate department of the above clerk of court is responsible for probates, guardianships, wills and trusts. Probate is required when someone dies leaving assets that are in their name only. Someone must be named to administer the estate and is known as the personal representative. The Court makes that appointment. If the deceased left a will, it must be filed with the court for safekeeping within 10 days of the date of death. There is no fee required to file a will. If the deceased did not leave a will, it is considered an "intestate" estate. That means that the probate laws in the state of Florida will dictate the distribution of the assets of the decedent.
In most cases the services of an Attorney will be required to file the probate. In the few instances where an Attorney will not be required, it probably would be helpful to have one to guide the beneficiary through the complexities of the probate process. Any Attorney licensed to practice law is the state of Florida can be hired to handle cases in any county in the state. The Attorney is not required to be in the same county as the filing.
You can contact the probate department of the Columbia County Clerk of the Circuit Court if you have any questions about probate or guardianship matters. The clerks are not attorneys and not qualified to give legal advice but are familiar with the probate process and can answer many questions.
Probate also handles guardianships. A guardianship can be filed for a minor or for an incapacitated person. In the state of Florida an attorney is required in all guardianship matters. It is possible for a guardian to be appointed as guardian of the person, property or person and property. Call 1-800-PROBATE ext 5 to learn more about the Columbia County Probate Court.
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