Sarasota County Probate and Estate Planning Attorney | Yergey & Yergey, P.A.
Local Practice
Sarasota County is among Florida's wealthier counties on a per-capita basis and supports an unusually active arts, cultural, and philanthropic community — Sarasota, Venice, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, and Englewood together produce a probate caseload notable for charitable bequests, generation-skipping trust planning, art and collectible valuation, and federal estate tax considerations.
Yergey & Yergey, P.A. represents Sarasota County clients in probate, estate planning, guardianship, trust administration, and probate and trust litigation. The firm has appeared in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.
Sarasota estates frequently involve circumstances that benefit from focused tax counsel: substantial charitable lead or remainder trust planning, the federal estate tax implications of art and collectibles, and the coordination of Florida planning with trusts established years earlier in clients' prior states of residence.
Probate Court Information
Sarasota County probate matters are filed in the Sarasota County Circuit Court — Probate Division at the Judicial Center in downtown Sarasota.
Sarasota County is in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida (alongside DeSoto and Manatee counties). The Twelfth Circuit applies the Florida Probate Code statewide, but the Sarasota Probate Division operates with its own scheduling and division conventions distinct from the Manatee practice in Bradenton.
- Summary Administration (Fla. Stat. § 735.201) — less commonly applicable given typical Sarasota estate sizes
- Formal Administration (Fla. Stat. Ch. 733) — typical procedure for most Sarasota estates
- Ancillary Administration (Fla. Stat. § 734.102) — common for out-of-state owners of Siesta Key, Longboat Key, and Venice property
- Trust proceedings under Fla. Stat. Ch. 736
- Guardianship under Fla. Stat. Ch. 744
Approximately 130 miles from our Orlando office at 910 N. Fern Creek Avenue — typically 2 to 2.5 hours via the Florida Turnpike and I-75. Procedural matters can proceed without travel; the firm appears in Sarasota for hearings.
Sarasota-specific note on charitable and art-collection planning: a substantial portion of Sarasota estates include charitable bequests to local cultural institutions and complex art or collectible holdings. Valuation of art for federal estate tax purposes (Form 706) frequently requires qualified appraisals, and charitable trust structures — charitable lead annuity trusts, charitable remainder unitrusts — are recurring tools. LL.M.-level tax analysis is genuinely applicable in this market.
How We Serve Sarasota County Clients
Estate Planning with Tax and Charitable Focus
Wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, charitable lead and remainder trusts, generation-skipping trusts, durable powers of attorney, living wills, and healthcare surrogate designations. Plans frequently incorporate charitable bequests to local Sarasota cultural institutions.
Probate Administration
Sarasota County Formal Administration for substantial estates, with attention to fiduciary income tax (Form 1041), federal estate tax (Form 706) where required, and the coordination of art and collectible valuations.
Trust Administration and Litigation
Successor-trustee guidance and beneficiary representation in trustee breach proceedings under Fla. Stat. § 736.0802 and § 736.0813.
Ancillary Administration
Sarasota sees substantial Ancillary Administration volume (Fla. Stat. § 734.102) for out-of-state decedents holding Sarasota County property.
Mediation
Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediation for Sarasota County probate, trust, and guardianship disputes — confidentiality is itself valuable in higher-net-worth contested matters.
What to Bring to Your First Consultation
For a probate or trust matter (Sarasota County)
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Original will and any trust documents
- Decedent's residence address at death and any second-residence states
- Preliminary asset inventory, including Sarasota County real property, art collections, and any out-of-state holdings
- Recent gift tax returns (Form 709), if any
- Names and contact information for all beneficiaries and charitable beneficiaries
For an estate planning consultation
- Existing estate planning documents
- Recent net worth or estate tax projection if available
- Information on art collections, collectibles, or other tangible personal property of significant value
- Any planned or existing charitable giving relationships
Ready to speak with a Sarasota County probate attorney?
Call (407) 843-0430 or book a consultation online.
Or text PROBATE to (407) 906-9507 for a faster response.
Yergey & Yergey, P.A. | 910 N. Fern Creek Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803
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