What is Probate and Estate Planning?
Probate:
The legal process through which a deceased person’s estate is properly distributed to heirs and designated beneficiaries and any debt owed to creditors is paid. The court oversees the process to ensure that the estate is properly administered.
Estate Planning:
Estate Planning is the act of putting together a financial plan that will constitute a document like a will and manage your estate after your death or incapacitation.
Address and Directions to Event
City of Newberry’s Municipal building is located at:
25420 W Newberry Rd, Newberry, FL 32669
Our Past Summits
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #1
In February 2022, the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s office hosted the first Probate and Estate Planning Summit, bringing together local government and community partners to address heirs’ property and estate planning issues in East Gainesville. With over 200 attendees, the event featured a panel discussion with representatives from key agencies, highlighting how probate impacts their offices and the importance of proactive estate planning to help families preserve generational assets.
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #2
In August 2022, the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s office hosted its second Probate and Estate Planning Summit in Hawthorne, marking an intentional expansion of the initiative into more rural areas of the county. At that time, approximately 1 in 20 residential properties in Hawthorne—about 6.5%—were at risk of entering the costly and lengthy probate process. The summit focused on sharing insights to help reduce this risk and support families in protecting their property through effective estate planning.
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #3
In February 2023, the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office hosted its third Probate and Estate Planning Summit, focusing on the Alachua and High Springs areas. At the time, nearly 1 in 25 residential properties in these cities were at risk of entering the costly and lengthy probate process. Panelists discussed how probate impacts their offices and how estate planning can help individuals transfer assets outside of probate.
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #4
In September 2023, our heatmap data led us to focus on the northwest area of Gainesville. At that time, nearly 3 in 100 residential properties in the 32605 and 32653 zip codes were at risk of entering the costly and lengthy probate process. The event saw a strong turnout, with residents actively engaging in the discussion.
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #5
In February 2024, we returned to the East Gainesville area for our latest summit, marking a meaningful return to the area where we hosted our first event. Once again, over 200 attendees joined us, showcasing a continued strong interest in heirs’ property issues in the community. We were thrilled to see such enthusiasm for learning about available resources for heirs.
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #6
In June 2024, we focused on a portion of Gainesville and the city of Alachua for this event. Due to the success of our previous summits, we were able to expand and enhance our partnerships. This summit featured experts from the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office, Alachua County Tax Collector, UF Levin College of Law, Three Rivers Legal Services, and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.
Probate & Estate Planning Summit #7
In February 2025, our heatmap data led us to focus on central Gainesville, specifically the downtown area. The event saw a successful turnout of over 120 attendees, providing an opportunity to address the public’s questions and concerns.