Why Palm City Homeowners Use a Lady Bird Deed
When people in Martin County ask us how to keep the family home simple, the answer is usually the same deed. A lady bird deed (its formal name is an enhanced life estate deed) answers it quietly. The home passes to the people you name the moment you die, with no probate, and you keep complete control while you are alive. You can sell it, borrow against it, or change your mind, all without anyone's permission.
Palm City is older than most of Florida, with a median age of 52 and 29 percent over 65. The community of 26,371 generates planning demand weighted toward retirement. A median home value of $563,400 in Martin County means the homestead is often the largest asset to protect in the plan. With a median home value around $563,400, keeping that value out of probate and protecting the step-up in basis matters here. See exactly how a lady bird deed works → You do not need a lawyer with an office in Palm City, because the deed records in Martin County no matter where it is drafted. Here is how working with a Florida lady bird deed attorney runs, wherever you are.
Recording a Lady Bird Deed in Martin County
A deed only protects your family once it is properly recorded, and in Martin County that happens with the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. The Martin County recording office sits at 100 Southeast Ocean Boulevard in Stuart, but we e-record your deed electronically, so you never make the trip. The cost to record is modest and set by Florida law, the same in every county, usually around $18 to $30. The Department of Revenue has ruled that an enhanced life estate deed is not subject to documentary stamp tax, and in practice the deed is recorded with a nominal recital and a seventy cent stamp. We pull your exact legal description from the last recorded deed, prepare the document, and e-record it for you, so nothing depends on you driving to a courthouse.
Notary Services in Palm City
The firm still arranges online notarization with remote witnesses by video. A bank branch where you hold an account usually has a notary available. Call ahead and bring two witnesses.
The Mistakes We Fix for Martin County Families
The cheap way usually costs the most. A plain gift of the home to the kids loses the step-up in basis (a tax break that can save the family tens of thousands when they sell) and can trigger Florida's five-year Medicaid penalty. A do-it-yourself form often misses the homestead and spousal rules, which can quietly void the deed for a married owner. We handle those checks as part of the flat fee, so the deed actually holds up. What a valid form must contain → · when a deed is the wrong tool →
One home, one deed, no probate for your Palm City family.
A free consultation confirms a lady bird deed fits, by phone or video. If a trust is the better tool, we will tell you that too.
Book a free consultationWhat It Costs
Our flat fee is $399 for an individual owner and $449 for a joint deed, the same price the form mills charge, with a real attorney behind it. On top of that you pay only the government recording cost and the documentary stamp, passed through with no markup. The fee is posted up front and honored for 90 days. See the full cost breakdown →
Communities We Serve Near Palm City
We work with homeowners across Martin County, and the surrounding area. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm serving Palm City families wherever you are; this is not a Palm City office, and we frame our work that way out of respect for Florida's advertising rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Palm City office to set up a lady bird deed?
No. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm that serves Palm City and Martin County homeowners by phone and video, with the deed signed by remote online notary and e-recorded in your county. Many of our clients are adult children handling a Florida parent's home from another state.
Where does a Palm City lady bird deed get recorded?
With the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, in the county where the property sits. Recording fees are set by Florida law and are the same in every county, usually about $18 to $30 for a deed like this. The Department of Revenue has ruled that an enhanced life estate deed is not subject to documentary stamp tax, and in practice the deed is recorded with a nominal recital and a seventy cent stamp.
Will a lady bird deed help my Palm City home avoid Medicaid estate recovery?
Yes. Florida only recovers Medicaid costs from the probate estate. Because a lady bird deed passes the home outside probate, it stays out of recovery's reach, while your homestead also stays exempt during your lifetime. It is one of the main reasons Martin County families use it.
Can the notary be one of the two witnesses on my Palm City deed?
Yes, when the notary watches you sign and also signs on a witness line with a mailing address. A notary who only completes the acknowledgment is not a second witness, and a deed with one witness and a notary is a witness short. Florida law cures a missing witness five years after the deed is recorded, absent fraud, so recording promptly with the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller is also what starts that clock.
Can I still sell my Palm City home after signing?
Yes, and that is the whole point of the "enhanced" part. You keep the right to sell, refinance, rent, or change your mind, all without asking the beneficiaries. If the home is your homestead and you are married, your spouse still joins the deed for a sale or mortgage.
Updated October 18, 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 Palm City and Martin County residents wherever they are. Do not send confidential information until we have agreed to represent you.
