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FAQs / Probate Duties / Who can be appointed personal representative, aka executor?

Who can be appointed personal representative, aka executor?

Having a competent personal representative, aka executor, nominated in your estate planning documents will go a long way to ensuring your wishes are honored as far as the distributions of your estate are concerned. However, not just anyone can be appointed as a personal representative by the probate court. There are a few rules that must be adhered to, and it is important to know all of the fundamental elements of the probate process to fully understand who should and can be appointed as a personal representative, aka executor.

In order to be appointed the nominated party must be:

1.) Over the age of 18
2.) Non felon (must not have any felony convictions)
3.) Must be a Florida resident, or if a non-resident he or she must be a family member of the decedent.

It is important to note that the specific limitations as to who may be appointed as personal representative are in place to help ensure that a responsible party will be put in charge of the estate’s finances and will treat all interested parties fairly.

Typically, the nominated personal representative, aka executor, is someone close to the decedent, generally a family member or relative that is also a beneficiary of the estate. In Florida, the executor will owe a fiduciary duty to the estate and should be someone that can live up to this duty. Sometimes more than one Florida resident will serve as co-personal trust representatives.

When a person, agrees to be appointed as the personal representative of a particular estate, they will be required to execute an Oath of Personal Representative in which they swear to follow all applicable laws in order to administer the estate. If the personal representative breaches his fiduciary duty to creditors, or to beneficiaries, the personal representative can be sued on behalf of the estate in order to address the grievance. In extreme situations, the personal representative can even be held personally liable for damages to the estate. For example, if the personal representative collects $1,000,000 of estate assets into a bank account in the name of the estate, and then flees the country with all of that money, the beneficiaries can sue the personal representative and that person will be personally liable for up to $1,000,000, which should have come into the estate.

A personal representative should also execute an Affidavit of No Felony Convictions. If it is discovered that the personal representative does in fact have a felony record, such information should be presented to the probate court and the judge will remove the acting personal representative.

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