House advances bill to simplify small estate administration
Rep. Kaylee Tuck
A bill that would make it easier to administer small estates, reducing the need for probate, is heading to the House floor.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 18-0 February 3 to approve HB 1337 by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid.
Tuck, a real estate and land-use attorney, is co-sponsoring the bill with Rep. Tom Fabricio, a fellow Republican and a Miami Lakes attorney.
In a brief introduction, Tuck said the bill revises Florida law “to reduce the necessity of court involvement in the distribution of assets of a decedent.”
Among other things, the bill would increase the asset threshold for a small estate from $75,000 to $150,000, according to a staff analysis.
Other provisions would give personal representatives easier access to a decedent’s safety deposit box and the authority to initiative proceedings.
Before the final vote, Fabricio offered an amendment that “clarifies the documentation a personal representative must show in order to gain access to a safety deposit box.”
State Courts Administrator Eric Maclure, Tallahassee attorney Martha Edenfield, representing the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, and Second Judicial Circuit Judge David Frank were in the audience to demonstrate their support. The Florida Bankers Association is another supporter.
HB 1337 cleared the Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee 17-0 on January 29, its only other committee of reference.
Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Flemming Island attorney, is sponsoring a companion, SB 1500, that has already begun to move.
SB 1500 cleared Judiciary 10-0 on January 27. It faces hearings in the Banking and Insurance Committee and Rules.
The 60-day, regular session is scheduled to adjourn March 13.
