Gellis Law, PLLC

08/30/2026

A second piece for the Apalachicola office.

We picked up a reproduction of the 1837 map “City of Apalachicola and Its Environs” — published by the Apalachicola Land Company and lithographed in New York by P.A. Mesier, the same shop that produced the waterfront print now hanging across the room.

What’s remarkable is how much of it you’d still recognize. The inset shows the original city plan, a one mile square, laid out on a grid, with Washington Square anchoring the center and Franklin, Madison, and City Squares arranged around it. Those squares are still there. So are the street names: Water, Commerce, Market, Chestnut, Cypress, Bay.

The main map runs from St. Joseph’s Bay east across St. George Sound. You can find East Point, St. Vincent Island, the mouth of the river, and dozens of tall ships anchored offshore because in 1837, Apalachicola was one of the busiest ports on the Gulf.

Someone sat down almost 190 years ago and drew what this place was going to be. Then people built it, and it’s still standing.

That’s not a bad thing for an estate planning attorney to look at every day. Plans made carefully outlast the people who made them.

It hangs now in our office on the second floor of the historic Post Office and Customs House.

📍 20 Avenue D, 2nd Floor — Downtown Apalachicola
🌐 ForgottenCoast.law
📞 (448) 500-6327

Offices Crawfordville and Apalachicola

08/26/2026

08/19/2026

Thank you, Wakulla!

We wrapped our free estate planning seminar at the Wakulla Senior Center today, and the turnout was better than we could have hoped for. A room full of folks who showed up with real questions and stuck around afterward to ask more.

We covered wills, trusts, Lady Bird deeds, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives — and judging by the hands that went up, a lot of people learned something they didn’t know. The Lady Bird deed in particular caught people off guard. Most homeowners have never heard of it, and it’s one of the most useful tools we have in Florida.

A few things stood out today. People are hungry for straight answers about this stuff. Nobody’s been explaining it to them in plain English. And once you do, they’re ready to act.

Thank you to the Wakulla Senior Center for hosting us, and thank you to everyone who came out, asked questions, and shared their own family experiences with the room.

This is the first of many. We’re taking these seminars across Wakulla County and the Forgotten Coast. If your church, civic group, HOA, or organization would like us to come speak, reach out — there’s no charge, and we’re glad to do it.

📞 (448) 500-6327
🌐 WakullaLegacy.com | ForgottenCoast.law

Gellis Law, PLLC — A Concierge Counselor

08/15/2026

Some things belong where they came from

I picked up something special for the new Apalachicola office … a numbered reproduction of the 1837 lithograph “City of Apalachicola,” drawn on the spot in June of that year by civil engineer H.A. Norris and printed in New York.

It shows the waterfront at the height of the cotton era: tall ships at anchor, schooners under sail, and the warehouse district running the length of the shoreline. Nearly two hundred years later, you can still stand at Battery Park and recognize the view.

This particular print is No. 175 of a limited run prepared for the 12th annual Florida Seafood Festival on November 1, 1975. The original hangs in the John Gorrie Memorial Museum a few blocks from my door.

It now hangs in our office on the second floor of the historic U.S. Post Office and Customs House, a building that was itself a customs house for a port that this lithograph captured in its prime.

I didn’t want the Apalachicola office to feel like a satellite. I wanted it to feel like it belongs here. This is a start.

📍 20 Avenue D, 2nd Floor — Historic U.S. Post Office & Customs House (by appointment)

🌐 ForgottenCoast.law

📞 (448) 500-6327

Offices Crawfordville (main) and Apalachicola (satellite)

08/08/2026

Big day for the firm. Gellis Law has officially joined the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Some of you know we opened a satellite office in Apalachicola earlier this year — second floor of the historic Post Office downtown — to serve Franklin County families closer to home. Joining the Chamber is the next step in putting down real roots on the Forgotten Coast.

Between the Wakulla office and the new spot in Apalach, the Bronco’s been logging some miles lately. No complaints about the views.

If you’re in Franklin County and you’ve been meaning to sort out a will, a trust, or an estate matter, I’m right there now — and glad to be part of the community. Come say hello.

ForgottenCoast.law
WakullaLegacy.com
GellisLaw.com

(448) 500-6327

08/05/2026

Our Forgotten Coast Website is now live!!

ForgottenCoast.Law

07/23/2026

Ben and I enjoyed helping the Rotary Club of Wakulla with its seasonal Banner Change in Hudson and Azalea parks! You should see brand new Labor Day banners in place of the 4th of July banners.

We’re blessed in this county to have such an active rotary club. I’m honored to be a member.

07/17/2026

Free Estate Planning Seminar? Wakulla Senior Center? Aug 19 at 10? Say no more.

07/15/2026

At the satellite office today.