(1) Unless otherwise provided in the decedent’s will or, in the absence of a provision in the decedent’s will, in a trust referred to in the decedent’s will, the following are applied first to satisfy the elective share:
(a) Property interests included in the elective estate that pass or have passed to or for the benefit of the surviving spouse, including interests that are contingent upon making the election, but only to the extent that such contingent interests do not diminish other property interests that would be applied to satisfy the elective share in the absence of the contingent interests.
(b) To the extent paid to or for the benefit of the surviving spouse, amounts payable under any plan or arrangement described in s. 732.2035(8).
(c) To the extent paid to or for the benefit of the surviving spouse, the decedent’s one-half of any property described in s. 732.2045(1)(f).
(d) To the extent paid to or for the benefit of the surviving spouse, the proceeds of any term or other policy of insurance on the decedent’s life if, at the time of decedent’s death, the policy was owned by any person other than the surviving spouse.
(e) Property held for the benefit of the surviving spouse in a qualifying special needs trust.
(f) Property interests that would have satisfied the elective share under any preceding paragraph of this subsection but were disclaimed.
(2) If, after the application of subsection (1), the elective share is not fully satisfied, the unsatisfied balance shall be allocated entirely to one class of direct recipients of the remaining elective estate and apportioned among those recipients, and if the elective share amount is not fully satisfied, to the next class of direct recipients, in the following order of priority, until the elective share amount is satisfied:
(a) Class 1.—The decedent’s probate estate and revocable trusts.
(b) Class 2.—Recipients of property interests, other than protected charitable interests, included in the elective estate under s. 732.2035(3), (4), or (7) and, to the extent the decedent had at the time of death the power to designate the recipient of the property, property interests, other than protected charitable interests, included under s. 732.2035(6) and (8).
(c) Class 3.—Recipients of all other property interests, other than protected charitable interests, included in the elective estate.
For purposes of this subsection, a protected charitable interest is any interest for which a charitable deduction with respect to the transfer of the property was allowed or allowable to the decedent or the decedent’s spouse under the United States gift or income tax laws.
(3) If, after the application of subsections (1) and (2), the elective share amount is not fully satisfied, the additional amount due to the surviving spouse shall be determined and satisfied as follows:
(a) The remaining unsatisfied balance shall be satisfied from property described in paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) which passes or which has passed in a trust in which the surviving spouse has a beneficial interest, other than an elective share trust or a qualified special needs trust.
(b) In determining the amount of the remaining unsatisfied balance, the effect, if any, of any change caused by the operation of this subsection in the value of the spouse’s beneficial interests in property described in paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) shall be taken into account, including, if necessary, further recalculations of the value of those beneficial interests.
(c) If there is more than one trust to which this subsection could apply, unless otherwise provided in the decedent’s will or, in the absence of a provision in the decedent’s will, in a trust referred to in the decedent’s will, the unsatisfied balance shall be apportioned pro rata to all such trusts in proportion to the value, as determined under s. 732.2095(2)(f), of the surviving spouse’s beneficial interests in the trusts.
(4) If, after the application of subsections (1), (2), and (3), the elective share is not fully satisfied, any remaining unsatisfied balance shall be satisfied from direct recipients of protected charitable lead interests, but only to the extent and at such times that contribution is permitted without disqualifying the charitable interest in that property for a deduction under the United States gift tax laws. For purposes of this subsection, a protected charitable lead interest is a protected charitable interest as defined in subsection (2) in which one or more deductible interests in charity precede some other nondeductible interest or interests in the property.
(5) The contribution required of the decedent’s probate estate and revocable trusts may be made in cash or in kind. In the application of this subsection, subsections (6) and (7) are to be applied to charge contribution for the elective share to the beneficiaries of the probate estate and revocable trusts as if all beneficiaries were taking under a common governing instrument.
(6) Unless otherwise provided in the decedent’s will or, in the absence of a provision in the decedent’s will, in a trust referred to in the decedent’s will, any amount to be satisfied from the decedent’s probate estate, other than from property passing to an inter vivos trust, shall be paid from the assets of the probate estate in the order prescribed in s. 733.805.
(7) Unless otherwise provided in the trust instrument or, in the decedent’s will if there is no provision in the trust instrument, any amount to be satisfied from trust property shall be paid from the assets of the trust in the order provided for claims under s. 736.05053(2) and (3). A direction in the decedent’s will is effective only for revocable trusts.
History.—s. 15, ch. 75-220; s. 7, ch. 99-343; s. 23, ch. 2001-226; s. 4, ch. 2002-82; s. 31, ch. 2006-217; s. 11, ch. 2007-74; s. 5, ch. 2009-115; s. 5, ch. 2017-121.
Note.—Former s. 732.209.