DEATH CERTIFICATES

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Required Information for filing a death certificate:

Name of the deceased
Date of death

Sex
Place of death (city or town)
Place of death (county)
Name of surviving spouse
Social security number
Funeral home name
Applicant's name
Relationship to the deceased
Phone number
Mailing address

For certified death certificates with the cause of death information: Cause of death for any record over 50 years old may be issued to any applicant. Death records less than 50 years old with the cause of death information included may only be issued to the following people:

Spouse or parent
Child, grandchild or sibling, if of legal age
Any person who provides a will, insurance policy, or other document that demonstrates his or her interest in the estate of the decedent
Any person who provides documentation that he or she is acting on behalf of any of the above named persons 

Frequently, we are contacted by someone who had Power of Attorney on a loved one and they are trying to organize the cremation.  Designations such as Power of Attorney and Health Care Surrogacy end when the person dies.  

Florida requires that we follow the Next of Kin Hierarchy.  This hierarchy can only be "trumped" by having a legal Will & Testament prepared by an attorney that names an Executor/Executrix or a Personal Representative or Agent.  In order to qualify as next of kin when a loved one dies, you must be over 18 years old. 

The hierarchy is as follows:

               Spouse
               Adult Children
               Parents
               Siblings
               Grandchildren
               Grandparents

When obtaining cremation authorization, we are required to get authorization from each member of a Next of Kin "class", or do our due diligence in attempting to obtain authorization.  This most commonly becomes an issue with the adult children class and the sibling class.

If you are the adult child or sibling of the deceased and do not disclose others in your class, you at at risk of legal action by others in your class if you authorize cremation without their permission.

Unfortunately, we have had to contact spouses that have been absent for years, and have been unable to help loving partners because proper legal planning was not done.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us.