Why Palm Harbor Homeowners Use a Lady Bird Deed
Plenty of Palm Harbor families assume a will handles the house. It does not; a will still goes through probate. 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 Harbor anchors north Pinellas County, an established Gulf-coast retiree and snowbird area with large 55+ communities like Highland Lakes. A north-Pinellas retiree market, strong for elder law, Medicaid, long-term care, and revocable-trust planning. See exactly how a lady bird deed works →
Where Your Deed Records in Pinellas County
A deed only protects your family once it is properly recorded, and in Pinellas County that happens with the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. The Pinellas County recording office sits at 315 Court Street in Clearwater, 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, plus the $0.70 minimum documentary stamp that applies because the deed is a gift at death rather than a sale. 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.
The Mistakes We Fix for Pinellas 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 →
Helping Palm Harbor families keep the home simple.
A free 30-minute consult confirms a lady bird deed fits, by phone or video. If a trust is the better tool, we will tell you that too.
Book your free consultWhat 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 Harbor
We work with homeowners across Pinellas County, including Ozona, Crystal Beach, Lansbrook, Highland Lakes, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, and the surrounding area. StepUp Law is a Miami firm serving Palm Harbor families remotely; this is not a Palm Harbor office, and we frame our work that way out of respect for Florida's advertising rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Palm Harbor office to set up a lady bird deed?
No. StepUp Law is a Miami firm that serves Palm Harbor and Pinellas County homeowners remotely, 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 Harbor lady bird deed get recorded?
With the Pinellas 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, plus a $0.70 minimum documentary stamp because no sale is taking place.
Will a lady bird deed help my Palm Harbor 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 Pinellas County families use it.
Can I still sell my Palm Harbor 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 June 7, 2026. Reviewed by Kevin D. Klagge, Esq., Fla. Bar No. 99502 (Florida estate planning, probate, and trust and probate litigation). General information about Florida law, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. We serve Palm Harbor and Pinellas County residents remotely. Do not send confidential information until we have agreed to represent you.