Elder Law in St. Augustine: the Local Picture
St. Augustine has a median age of 50 and 27 percent over 65, older than the Florida average. Planning demand among the 15,351 residents reflects a blend of retirees and historic homeowners. A median home value of $439,800 in St. Johns County puts Florida homestead protection at the center of the plan.
With a median age around 50, St. Augustine 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 St. Johns 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 St. Augustine parent from anywhere.
A free consultation maps the care, the home, and the documents, by phone or video.
Book a free consultationNotary Services in St. Augustine
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 #0939Anastasia Publix Plaza Across From Bank Of America | 1093 A1a Beach Blvd, Saint Augustine 32080 | (904) 471-4200 | Mon to Fri 8 am to 6:30 pm · Sat 10 am to 3:30 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm |
| The UPS Store #2664Winn-Dixie Shopping Center/North End Of Town | 3501 N Ponce De Leon Blvd, Ste B, Saint Augustine 32084 | (904) 824-3444 | Mon to Fri 8 am to 6:30 pm · Sat 10 am to 3:30 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm |
| The UPS Store #6859Moultrie Plaza | 4255 US Hwy 1 South, Ste 18, Saint Augustine 32086 | (904) 615-1976 | Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 7 pm · Sat 9 am to 3 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm |
| The UPS Store #30606 Doors Down From Publix | 135 Jenkins St, Ste 105-B, Saint Augustine 32086 | (904) 825-2300 | Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 6:30 pm · Sat 9 am to 5 pm · Sun 10 am to 3 pm |
| The UPS Store #6113Next To Publix At Corner Of Intl Golf Pkwy & Hwy16 Corner | 52 Tuscan Way, Ste 202, Saint Augustine 32092 | (904) 217-0890 | Mon to Fri 8 am to 6 pm · Sat 9 am to 5 pm · Sun 11 am to 4 pm |
| The UPS Store #8299 | 1985 Silverleaf Pkwy, Suite 103, Saint Augustine 32092 | Mon to Sun closed | |
| The UPS Store #8367 | 2895 Sr-16 E, Ste 140., Saint Augustine 32092 | (904) 289-3380 | Mon to Sun closed |
| The UPS Store #7067 | 120 Palencia Village Dr, #C-105, Saint Augustine 32095 | (904) 829-0116 | Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 7 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 St. Johns County, and beyond. Any deed in your plan records with the St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. We are a Miami firm serving St. Augustine wherever you are; this is not a St. Augustine office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an office in St. Augustine?
No. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm that serves St. Augustine and St. Johns 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 St. Augustine-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 St. Augustine and St. Johns County residents wherever they are. Medicaid figures change annually and eligibility turns on your specific facts.
