Florida Statute 733.508
“Accounting and discharge of removed personal representatives upon removal”
What it means
A removed personal representative does not just hand over the keys. Section 733.508 requires the removed PR to file and serve a final accounting of the administration. Probate Rule 5.440 puts a clock on it: 30 days after removal.
Discharge — the order that finally releases the removed PR and the bond — comes only after three things: any liability is determined and satisfied, compensation of the PR and the attorneys and others the PR employed is resolved, and the court receives evidence that the estate assets were actually delivered to the successor fiduciary.
- A removed personal representative must file and serve a final accounting of the administration.
- Under Probate Rule 5.440, the accounting is due within 30 days after removal.
- Discharge requires liability determined and satisfied, compensation resolved, and proof the assets reached the successor.
- Only then is the removed PR discharged, the bond released, and the surety discharged.
How it plays out
The final accounting from a removed PR is where an estate learns what actually happened. We compare it line by line against bank statements and the inventory — shortfalls surface here, and the discharge stays open until they are explained or repaid. Representing a successor, we do not agree to discharge until every asset on the inventory is confirmed in the successor's hands, because the statute makes that proof a condition, not a courtesy.
