Estate Planning in Hollywood: the Local Picture
Hollywood is a dense Broward beach city with a large retiree and snowbird population alongside working coastal families. A coastal market with a sizable older-adult and seasonal base, where homestead, elder law, Medicaid, and probate avoidance are front of mind.
A home at that value sits well above Florida’s $150,000 summary-administration threshold, raised from $75,000 on July 1, 2026, so without planning it can pull your family into a full, months-long probate. The fix is to coordinate the home, the will or trust, and any deed together, so the house passes the way you intend.
What a Complete Plan Covers
Most families in Hollywood come to us for the same three documents, a will, a trust, and a power of attorney. A last will and testament says who inherits, a living trust can keep the estate out of probate, and a durable power of attorney covers you while you are still alive.
An estate plan is a coordinated set of documents, not one piece of paper. It takes a will or a revocable living trust to direct your property, a durable power of attorney so someone can act if you can’t, and a health-care surrogate, living will, and HIPAA authorization for medical decisions. Homeowners often add a lady bird deed on the homestead. See the full estate-planning guide →
Keeping a Hollywood Home Out of Probate
Your Florida homestead carries special rules. It generally can’t be left freely in a will if you have a spouse or minor child, and it passes outside the will by its own path. A funded revocable trust or a lady bird deed keeps the home out of probate while you keep full control during life. See Broward County probate → or find the right deed →
Serving Hollywood and Broward County, wherever you are.
A free 30-minute video consult maps your plan and quotes a flat fee. No office visit required.
Book your free consultCommunities We Serve
We work with families across Broward County, including Hollywood Beach, Emerald Hills, Hollywood Hills, Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, West Lake, and the rest of Broward County. Any deed in your plan records with the Broward County Clerk of Courts, whose office is at 115 South Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale; we prepare and e-record it for you. We are a Miami firm serving Hollywood wherever you are; this is not a Hollywood office.
Recently moved to Florida, or planning to? Make it official and cut your old state’s income tax with a Broward County Declaration of Domicile, then re-do your plan under Florida law.
Flat Fees
Trust-based plan $3,200 individual / $4,500 couple (trust + pour-over will + durable POA + health-care directives + one funding deed). Will-based plan $1,200 individual / $1,950 couple (will, durable POA, health-care directives and a lady bird deed on the home). Single documents from $299. Government recording costs are additional, at cost. See full pricing →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an office in Hollywood?
No. StepUpLaw is a Miami firm that serves Hollywood and Broward County residents wherever they are, by phone and video. Most of the work happens online, and your signing is coordinated to meet Florida formalities (two witnesses and a notary).
Where are deeds recorded in Broward County?
Deeds and other documents for a Broward County property are recorded with the Broward County Clerk of Courts. We handle the recording for any deed in your plan and pass the county’s cost through at cost.
Do I need a living trust, or is a will enough?
It depends on what you own and your goals. A will alone still goes through probate; a funded revocable living trust avoids it and manages things if you lose capacity. For a single home passing to your kids, a lady bird deed may be all you need. We talk through both at the free consult.
Updated August 19, 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 Hollywood and Broward County residents from our Miami office. Local figures are Census estimates (ACS 2024) and approximate.