Elder Law in Dunedin: the Local Picture
Dunedin is substantially older than the state average, with a median age of 58 and 35 percent over 65. Planning demand among the 36,062 residents centers on retirees. Pinellas County homes here have a median value of $396,000, making a lady bird deed a practical way to keep the home out of probate.
With a median age around 58, Dunedin has the families elder law is built for, aging parents who want to stay in control, protect the home, and pay for care without losing everything, and adult children trying to help, often from another state. We handle all of it wherever you are.
Families here search for this under different names, whether a geriatric attorney, a senior care lawyer, an elder care planning attorney, or simply an attorney for the elderly, and it is all the same work, protecting an aging parent’s home, savings, and right to decide for themselves.
Long-Term Care and Medicaid
Skilled nursing in Florida commonly runs several thousand dollars a month and up, and Medicare doesn’t cover long-term custodial care. Nursing-home Medicaid can, but giving assets away to “qualify” usually backfires under the five-year look-back. There are legitimate ways to protect the home and savings, whether you’re planning ahead or already in a crisis. See Medicaid planning → · check eligibility →
Protecting the Home
The homestead is the family’s biggest asset and is generally exempt for Medicaid eligibility. The real risk is estate recovery after death. A lady bird deed keeps the home out of probate and beyond recovery while your parent keeps full control. See how the home is protected →
Avoiding a Guardianship
If a parent loses capacity with no plan, the family’s only route is a court guardianship, which is slow, public, and expensive. A durable power of attorney, a health-care surrogate, a living will, and a HIPAA authorization, signed while your parent is competent, are the documents that block it. The medical ones are what Florida law calls advance directives, and this whole step is the part of elder law people call incapacity planning. If you have been searching for a guardianship lawyer in Pinellas County, start with the comparison, because most families need the document a parent can still sign, not a court case. Guardianship vs. power of attorney → · See the full elder-law guide →
Helping a Dunedin parent from anywhere.
A free consultation maps the care, the home, and the documents, by phone or video.
Book a free consultationNotary Services in Dunedin
The firm prepares your deed or trust and most clients sign from home by online notarization, with the firm arranging the notary and the two witnesses by video. Some people prefer to sign on paper in person. A Florida deed must be signed in front of two witnesses and acknowledged before a notary, so you need to bring two adult witnesses who are not named in the deed. Do not count on the store to supply witnesses. Call the store first to confirm a notary is on duty that day.
| Store | Address | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| The UPS Store #2155Granada Plaza Next To Publix @ Keene And Main | 1497 Main St, Dunedin 34698 | (727) 738-4409 | Mon to Fri 8 am to 6:30 pm · Sat 9 am to 2:30 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm |
| The UPS Store #8136 | 940 Curlew Rd, Dunedin 34698 | (727) 625-8136 | Mon to Fri 8 am to 6:30 pm · Sat 9 am to 3 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm |
Hours read from each store’s own page on October 30, 2026. Confirm by phone before you go.
Communities We Serve
We work with families across Pinellas County, and beyond. Any deed in your plan records with the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. We are a Miami firm serving Dunedin wherever you are; this is not a Dunedin office.
Local Senior Resources in Dunedin
You don’t have to do this alone, and not all of it is legal. For care navigation, Pinellas County’s Area Agency on Aging is the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas. It runs Florida’s Elder Helpline (1-800-96-ELDER) and free SHINE Medicare counseling, your first call for a Medicaid screening, caregiver support, and local senior services. We handle the legal side, the Medicaid-qualifying plan, the deed, the powers of attorney, and coordinate with those resources so nothing falls through the cracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an office in Dunedin?
No. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm that serves Dunedin and Pinellas County families by phone and video. That works well for adult children handling a Florida parent’s Medicaid, deed, or incapacity plan from out of state.
Will Medicaid take my parent’s Dunedin-area home?
The Florida homestead is generally protected for Medicaid eligibility, so it is not sold to qualify. The real risk is estate recovery after death, which runs against the probate estate. A lady bird deed keeps the home out of probate and beyond recovery.
What documents keep my parent out of guardianship?
A durable power of attorney, a designation of health-care surrogate, a living will, and a HIPAA authorization, signed while your parent is clearly competent. Florida courts must consider these less-restrictive alternatives before appointing a guardian.
Updated September 29, 2026. Reviewed by Kevin D. Klagge, Esq., Fla. Bar No. 99502. Attorney Kevin Klagge represents families, businesses, and international clients in estate and tax planning, business structuring, and international law, with a focus on Florida legal tools. He litigates estate and business issues in court. General information about Florida law, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. We serve Dunedin and Pinellas County residents wherever they are. Medicaid figures change annually and eligibility turns on your specific facts.
