Who to Call When Someone Dies at Home in Florida
If you have just found someone, call 911 and stop reading. Everything else on this page will still be here afterwards. If you are past that point and trying to work out what happens next, this is the sequence in Florida.
The Short Answer
Call 911 first, every time, including when the death was expected. In Florida, a death that is unattended, unexpected or unexplained is reported to the medical examiner, and that process starts with the responding officers.
After that, the order runs: medical examiner, funeral home, cleanup crew, insurance. Four different organizations, four different jobs, and almost no overlap between them.
Call 1: Emergency Services
Dial 911. Paramedics confirm the death and police secure the scene. If the death was expected and the person was under hospice care, call the hospice line first, because they have their own procedure and can often handle the pronouncement without emergency services.
Tell the dispatcher plainly what you found and whether you touched anything. Do not clean, do not move the person, and do not tidy the room.
Call 2: The Medical Examiner
You do not usually place this one yourself. The responding officers notify the medical examiner when the circumstances require it, which in Florida covers unattended deaths, deaths where no physician can certify the cause, and deaths that may involve trauma or criminal activity.
Pinellas County is served by the District Six Medical Examiner, which also covers Pasco County. Their office determines cause and manner of death and arranges removal of the deceased. They do not clean the property and they do not release the property. Those are two separate things that frequently get confused.
We have a fuller explanation of how the District Six process works, because it is the stage most families find hardest to get clear information about.
Call 3: The Funeral Home
Once the medical examiner releases the deceased, the funeral home you choose handles transport and arrangements. You can choose the funeral home at any point, and you are not obliged to use one that is suggested to you.
Funeral homes care for the person. They do not remediate the property, and they are not licensed to transport biomedical waste. Families assume otherwise surprisingly often.
Call 4: A Remediation Crew
If the death left biological contamination, the property needs remediation before it can be occupied, sold or re-rented. This is the call nobody expects to have to make.
It belongs after the scene is released and before you start sorting belongings. Cleaning around contamination spreads it, and in Florida heat the job grows measurably every day it waits.
Call 5: The Insurance Carrier
Notify your carrier as early as you can, ideally before remediation begins. Ask specifically about biological decontamination coverage and whether the crew can bill directly. Our insurance page has the exact wording to use.
What Each One Does Not Do
| Who | Handles | Does not handle |
|---|---|---|
| 911 responders | Confirming the death, securing the scene | Cleanup, transport of the deceased |
| Medical examiner | Cause and manner of death, removal of the deceased | Cleanup, releasing the property |
| Law enforcement | Investigation, releasing the scene | Cleanup of any kind |
| Funeral home | Care of the deceased, arrangements | Property remediation, biomedical waste |
| Remediation crew | Decontamination, material removal, odor, disposal | Anything involving the deceased |
If You Are Not Next of Kin
Landlords, property managers, neighbors and friends end up making these calls regularly in Pinellas County, particularly where the person lived alone. Call 911 the same way. The responding officers and the medical examiner's office handle locating next of kin, and you are not expected to do that part.
As a property owner you can authorize remediation of your own property once the scene is released. You generally cannot dispose of the deceased person's belongings until the estate question is settled, so keep those separate and document them.
Common questions
Do I have to call 911 if the death was expected?
If the person was under hospice care, call the hospice line first, because they have a procedure for expected deaths. In every other case, yes, call 911.
How long until the deceased is removed?
Usually the same day, though it depends on the medical examiner's workload and whether an investigation is involved.
When can I go back in the property?
When law enforcement releases the scene. That is separate from the medical examiner completing their determination, which can take much longer and which you do not need to wait for.
Who pays for the cleanup?
Usually the property owner or the estate, often through an insurance claim. Where a crime was involved, Florida's victim compensation program may reimburse cleanup costs.
If you need a crew in Pinellas County
One call connects you with a certified remediation company covering your ZIP code. The line is answered any hour and the call costs you nothing.