All Original Wills Must Be Filed When Someone Dies

Everyone knows that it’s the “last” will that someone makes before they die that counts. But it’s really the last “valid” will that counts. So who’s to say what’s the last valid will? The probate court gets to decide that.

And for the probate court to decide, it needs to have all the wills that person ever made. So, if a rich uncle dies and leaves two wills in his desk at home, the person who finds them needs to file both of them with the probate court, and not just the one closer to date of death (and certainly not just the one that names that person).

In Florida we have a law that requires all wills to be filed within 10 days, and the law has teeth in it.