Cremation Archives

Cremation Arrangements While Your Loved One Is In Hospice

03.30.2021

If your family member is under the care of Florida Hospice, they have probably told you that you need to look into Funeral Arrangements or Cremation Services in Florida. There are multiple steps once this process begins and we wanted to help families understand the processes.

What is Hospice?

Hospice is end-of-life care that focuses on the quality of life for people and their caregivers who are experiencing an advanced, life-limiting illness. Hospice care provides compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible. Hospice can care for your loved one in your home if necessary or in a Hospice Care Facility. Sometimes hospice also has facilities within hospitals to help families. Once your loved one is near the end of their life, Hospice will need for the family to make the decision of final arrangement. Once a family has chosen their final cremation arrangements, the family needs to give the cremation facility’s name and phone number to Hospice.

When deciding on cremation vs burial for your loved one understand some key facts and suggestions:

Florida burial services are usually between 10,000-15,0000 for complete burial. The price of Florida cremation can run between 1500 -5000 depending on if you are having a viewing.
It is bestto look ahead into what Florida Crematories or Funeral Homes are in your immediate area.
Look for affordable direct cremations in your local area and make contact with a crematory near you. Speak to someoneto make some arrangements for your loved one so that Hospice can call them anytime day or night.
Try to find someone within 50miles or less of your area for the best service when it comes to taking your loved one from the Hospice Home.
You can have all of your paperwork filled out ahead of time.
The forms that are needed are a Vital Statistics form, a cremation authorization form which is used for permission to cremate, and then make sure you keep these forms in a safe convenient place and send them to the facility you have chosen. Here are the forms to fill out: https://goinghomecremations.com/forms/
You can pay at the time of need for cremation services but it is better to have your forms filled out ahead of time.

After you have decided on what facility you are using, notify Hospice of your choice and make sure they have the 24-hour number for the direct cremation or burial company you are using. If Hospice is taking care of our loved one at your home make sure you call Hospice when death occurs if they are not present at the time. Hospice must initiate the call to any funeral home or crematory that you are using. Before the direct cremation facility picks up your loved one, they will pronounce the time of death and prepare your loved one for transport into the care of a Florida direct cremation facility of your choice.

It usually takes approximately 1-3 hours for someone to arrive depending on time of day and traffic. The transport company will take your loved one into their care and deliver them to the facility you have chosen. If your loved one is a Veteran, Going Home Cremation will drape an American flag over your loved while in transport. Please make sure you notify the Hospice nurse that your loved one is a Veteran.

IF DEATH OCCURS unexpectedly IN YOUR HOME:

If your loved one is at home and is NOT under the care of hospice, make sure you call 911,Ambulance services and Law enforcement will be called out to your home. Depending on the circumstances the police will decide if your loved one will go to the coroner or direct to a cremation or funeral facility.

At Going Home Cremations, we answer our phones 24/7 so that Hospice can reach us anytime day or night. We cover Pinellas County south to Lee County.

What Happens If Your Loved Ones Needs to Go to The Medical Examiner in Florida Before A Cremation?

03.21.2021

Sometimes when your loved one passes away in Florida, they will be sent to the Medical Examiner before they can be buried or cremated. This process with a medical examiner is incredibly important to the state of Florida if you are going to get a direct cremation in Florida. It can be nerve-wracking when your loved one is sent to the Medical Examiner, so we wanted to help guide families in Florida on some of the steps when they are sent to the medical examiner before your loved one is cremated in Florida.

medical examiner affordable cremation in florida

When does the Medical Examiner Get Involved Before A Cremation in Florida?

When a death occurs in Florida, under certain circumstances, the Florida Medical Examiner will be involved. This will occur when a health care practitioner, police officer

or by others authority figures report a death as suspicious. Normally, these are the type of deaths that are traumatic, criminal, or suspicious in nature, or a result of suicide or drug overdose. This is specific to Florida Statue 406. Deaths that are considered unattended also fall under the medical examiner’s jurisdiction. Unattended deaths are deaths that occur to people that have not seen a doctor recently or died suddenly while appearing to be healthy. It is very important that if a family is going to choose a direct cremation in Florida, that the medical examiner approves it before it commences. If your loved one’s death falls under the circumstances above, the death must be reported to the medical examiner.

No matter if your loved one needs to be sent to the medical examiner in Florida or not, the medical examiner is involved with every cremation approval in the state of Florida. When we take your loved one in our care for Florida direct cremation, we must get the attending physician that oversaw your loved one to sign the death certificate. Then the death certificate is sent to the medical examiner to overlook and approve. A cremation cannot occur until the medical examiner approves of what the doctor said about your loved one’s cause of death. Sometimes, the Florida medical examiner will request more information from the doctor on the cause or death, or even sometimes the medical examiner will require the body be sent to them for further review.

For example, in both Sarasota and Manatee county there are specific county ordinances and fees for the Medical Examiner:

In accordance with Florida Statute 406.11, rule 11G of the Florida Administrative Code, and other rules and regulations of the state of Florida, all deaths in which the body is to be cremated must be investigated by the medical examiner and an approval number must be supplied to the funeral home or crematory prior to cremation. In support of this service, local ordinances # R-08-217 (Manatee County) and # 2008-083 (Sarasota County), require the payment of a cremation fee for bodies from Sarasota and Manatee Counties. The fees vary depending on the county. You can learn more here: https://www.fldist12me.com/funeral-homes-cremation/?fbclid=IwAR0bKa2GppDXue5cyxCg-z0BcM_j0CuHpg6x__ZaHBPkgLM_v5KdGsiaBn4

It is important when choosing a Florida direct cremation facility that you make sure they are competent in handling Medical Examiner cases. The Medical Examiner will not refer you to a facility, so it is best to look online for facilities that have good reviews and that have been around for many years. If a Florida direct cremation facility is not competent in dealing the medical examiner faculties, especially when it comes to autopsies, it could cause issues.

What occurs during a Medical Examiner’s investigation?

Medical examiner investigation starts with evaluation of the background information, medical history and circumstances leading up to death. In certain circumstances it may also include response by medical examiner personnel to the death scene. Medical examiner investigation also entails examination of the body, which includes examination of the clothing and personal effects and the external surfaces of the body. Autopsy is commonly, but not always, performed. In criminal cases, medical examiner personnel work with law enforcement officers in the collection of evidence from a body.

How long after the conclusion of the Medical Examiner’s Investigation, can they body be sent for a cremation?

In Florida, once the medical examiner has concluded their investigation, the direct cremation facility can pick up your loved one normally within the same day. Then generally within 72 hours the cremation will occur. In general, the whole Florida direct cremation will be concluded within 7-10 business days, when you will receive your loved ones cremated ashes.

At Going Home Cremations we have affordable cremation facilities in St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Fort Meyers & SW Florida. We have good working relationships with all the medical examiner facilities within our coverage areas, and can help guide you through the direct cremation process if your loved one has been sent to a medical examiner facility.

Options to Pay for A Cremation in Florida

03.13.2021

options to pay for cremations

Cremations in Florida can vary in price greatly and be a very expensive purchase for the family. However, there are options for families that have to pay for a direct cremation and cannot afford to pay the whole price all at once. At Going Home Cremations, we want to make sure our families can afford their cremations so we have created this article to help guide families that are arranging a cremation in Florida.

Choose a direct cremation

If you choose a direct cremation over a normal cremation with a viewing or a funeral, you will save thousands of dollars. The average direct cremation price in Florida is around $2,000 whereas a funeral in Florida can be over $15,000. With this smaller price point, we have seen many families can then afford to cremate their loved one without as significant of financial concerns when they choose a direct cremation in Florida.

Life Insurance Policy

If your loved one had a life insurance policy, then there is a good chance the simple cremation cost can be covered by the life insurance policy in Florida. The exacts depend on the life insurance policy and who the beneficiary is for the policy. In general, these policies can take 30 to 60 days to be paid out in Florida, so most families will need to arrange an intermediate payment plan. However, some direct cremation facilities will help you process the life insurance policy and then you do not have to defer the payment.

Payment Plans

Many direct cremation facilities include Going Home Cremations work with families for payment plans by referring them to companies that can help with payment plans. In general, the families will apply for a payment plan so they can make smaller payments for their direct cremation in Florida.

Burial Insurance

Families can purchase burial insurance and so when the time arrives that a family member passes, the insurance will cover the cremation costs. It is important that the beneficiary of the policy be involved in arranging the cremation in Florida.

Crowd Funding

We have seen an uptick in families using crowd funding to help cover cremation and burial costs. Websites like GoFundMe can help families cover some or all of the cremation costs.

Veteran Benefits

If your loved one was a veteran, when they pass, you should reach out to the VA to see if they can help covering the cremation costs.

Employer Programs

Some employers offer their employees assistance in paying for a cremation or burial when an employee or their direct family member passes.

Body Donation

You can donate your loved one’s body to science which will eliminate all costs associated with their death. However, you have no control of the body at that point.

how to pay for cremation in florida

At Going Home Cremations, we will try and help our families figure out how to pay for their loved one’s direct cremation in Florida.

What Is Involved in A Direct Cremation in Florida?

03.03.2021

When you’ve had a death in your family, one of the most daunting aspects if figuring out how to be dealt with your loved one’s body. There are so many choices: cremation, direct cremation, green burials, traditional burials and so on. One of the biggest trends you will see while performing your search is how popular cremation has become in the United States.

Cremation has become the most popular form of a final disposition choice within the US. In 2019, 54.6% was the cremation rate in the United States. It has been forecasted that by 2035, the cremation percentage for Florida families will be 79.1%. Florida has the second-fastest increase rate in cremation as the choice for families. This is mostly attributed to the direct cremation option families are picking in Florida.

Before we dive into what is involved in a direct cremation, let’s first get to the main reason so many Floridians are choosing direct cremations in Florida. The Price!

The 2019 median cost for final disposition arrangements varies greatly, the average cremation price is $5,150 and the average burial cost is $7,640. Whereas the average direct cremation cost in Florida is $2,800 (Our direct cremation cost is $795). Now we will go into the details on what you get in Florida with a direct cremation and why the price is so much lower for a Florida direct cremation compared to a normal Florida cremation or Florida burial.

1. With a Florida direct cremation, your loved one’s body gets picked from where they passed away and gets transported directly to the crematorium. In other forms of cremation or burial, the body would first be brought to the funeral home for embalming for a viewing. Embalming is an incredibly time intensive task that can cost thousands of dollars and is also very harmful to the environment due to the chemicals used in the embalming process.

2. The time from start to finish for a direct cremation can be much less. There is always a waiting period after your loved one dies in Florida to get medical examiner approval of a direct cremation. Once the Florida direct cremation facility gets the medical examiner approval, the cremation can occur right away. On average, the whole Florida direct cremation process can take between 5 to 7 business days.

3. Due to the current COVID environment, most funeral homes are not allowing viewings. So, if you chose a direct cremation, you do not need to worry about social distancing and the issues that arise from having a funeral.

4. Now more than ever, families from all around the US are choosing to move to Florida. That can create some issues if there is a death in the family, because of a distance. When families in Florida choose a cremation, they can ship or fly ashes to other parts of the country for minimal costs. Whereas, if a family chooses a burial, in most cases that’s not a feasible option.

At Going Home Cremations, we have been helping families with cremations in South West Florida for over twenty years. We can help you save money without sacrificing care.

The Average Cost of a Cremation in Florida

02.14.2021

The Average Cost of a Cremation in Florida

Since 2015, cremation has become the top choice for families when it comes to cremations vs burials. It’s predicted that within 20 years over 80% of people will choose cremation as their final wish once they pass away. In Florida, it seems like cremation is getting close to the 80% already, due to the lower costs compared to normal funerals and the ease of arranging direct cremations in Florida. Especially areas where “snow bids” tend to migrate like St. Petersburg, Tampa and Fort Meyers, Florida. One of the biggest issues for Florida families is figuring out what’s an appropriate price to pay for a cremation in Florida. What is why below, we will break down the average cost of a cremation in Florida.

This increase in frequency in cremation as the number one choice for families in Florida has led to a boon of facilities offering direct cremations in Florida. In general, the prices for direct cremations in South West Florida range between $700-$3000. Cremations that fall below the $700 price in general have a lot of additional fees, so in truth their direct cremation prices when everything is said and done are closer to $1200.

There are a few reasons for the incredible variability in Florida direct cremation prices. First, it depends on facility you choose to have your cremation done. In Florida, funeral homes have very large overhead costs, and in years past they received most of their profit from funerals that on average would cost Florida families $10,000. Now that direct cremations in Florida are becoming more popular, they have had to change how they receive their profits. They now have increased their prices of their cremations to compensate for the reductions in burials. So, in general, the highest priced cremations in South West Florida are from funeral homes that are selling cremations. Funeral homes also tend to upsell additional cremation options more and will try and get families to use their cemetery for example, which can add thousands of dollars onto the costs of a Florida cremation.

For the direct disposer facilities that only offer cremations in Florida, their prices tend to be lower than funeral home prices. But the big thing to be aware of from these facilities is where their crematories are located and the reviews they have. It is important to research any cremation facility you look at in Florida to make sure your loved one will be handled with dignity and care. We suggest Google and Yelp as great ways to research customer reviews.

We wanted to spend a moment and break down common things you will pay for when your loved one dies and wants a Florida cremation.

Cremation Cost
- This is the biggest cost and in general, just includes the costs to have your loved one cremated.
Transportation of Your Loved One
- You will have to pay to have your loved one picked up from where they passed to be brought to the crematory. If your loved one is larger than an average person, there tends to be additional fees due to increased need for additional men to help transport your loved one.
Refrigeration
- In the state of Florida, there is a mandatory 48 hour waiting period before your loved one can be cremated, so they need to be refrigerated at the crematory while this waiting period occurs.
Casket to Be Cremated In
- Your loved one will be cremated in casket and the prices can vary.
Urn (We include an urn for free in our direct cremation)
- Try and find a Florida direct cremation facility with well-priced urns. Urns can be incredibly expensive. That is why at Going Home Cremation, we include an urn for free in the cost of our cremation. https://goinghomecremations.com/urns/
Obituary
- Obituaries can be a surprisingly expensive add on to cremations in Florida. We have even seen them cost families close to $1000. We include a premium obituary for free for our Florida direct cremations. https://goinghomecremations.com/obituaries/
Death Certificates
- There will be county fees for death certificates that everyone has to pay, and they are set by each county.
Paper work fees
- Preparing your loved one for a cremation takes an incredible amount of paperwork, and most all facilities charge for that. When your loved one passes, the direct cremation facility has to undergo many steps to get the cremation approved, have the doctor sign the death certificate and then to get the death certificate approved, these steps can take many hours.

At Going Home Cremations, we offer direct cremations in St. Petersburg, Fort Meyers, Trinity, Sarasota, Bradenton, and Port Charlotte, Florida. But most importantly, we want all families searching for Florida direct cremations to understand the average cost of a cremation in Florida so they can make the best choice for their families.

What to Look for When Choosing A Florida Direct Cremation Facility

02.06.2021

When your loved one dies, it can be an overwhelming process to figure out what to do next. First, you need to make sure you loved one doesn’t have prearrangements for their cremation. If they do not have prearrangements, you need to start by figuring out how you want to handle your loved one’s direct cremation in Florida.

A direct cremation is becoming more popular day by day in Florida, especially in the south west region of Florida. This is due to the lower costs of direct cremations and also the current pandemic crisis which does not allow for congregation of people to celebrate the life of a loved one. In a direct cremation, you do not have a funeral where you view the body. Instead, your direct cremation facility will pick the body up and have it cremated directly.

Once you have figured out that you want a direct cremation in Florida for your loved one, you need to figure out which direct cremation facility you want to go with. This can be the trickiest part of the whole direct cremation process. When you google direct cremation St. Petersburg or direct cremation Trinity, you will see pages upon pages of direct cremation facilities pop up. Here are a few tips and “red flags” to be aware of and ask questions about:

Very Low Prices

When facilities offer cremations around the $500-$600 mark there should be some alarm bells going off in your head. Most of the time, they advertise a much lower price but do not include costs like transportation, urns, or will even add unnecessary additional fees that can bring your final total easily over $2000. If something like that happens to you, know that within the state of Florida, no facility is allowed to hold a body once they pick it up. If you are not happy, its within your rights to move to another facility. You should aim for a cremation facility that starts offering prices in the high $700-$1000 range. For example, our simple cremation is $795 and it includes transportation, an urn and an obituary. https://goinghomecremations.com/affordable-cremation-services/

Crematory

Ask them about their crematory! The very low priced direct cremation facilities will have your loved one cremated in office parks or places you would never be okay with if you saw them for yourself. Go check out this article to learn more: https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Red-flags-to-look-out-for-when-selecting-a-funeral-home-497967031.html

Their Headquarters

We have been seeing an uptick in corporate direct cremation facilities that are not even located in Florida. That should be concerning. You want a facility where their headquarters are based in Florida to make sure they are following all rules around direct cremations in Florida.

Look Up Their Reviews on Google and Yelp

Please look at a company’s reviews before you choose to go with them. We have seen many families be shocked at the lack of customer service or upcharges because they did not review their direct cremation facility, they chose in Florida first. For example, our facility Going Home Cremations, has over 24 five stars Google reviews. In fact, we only have five-star reviews, and its important you go with a facility that has similar numbers.

Ask Them How Long They’ve Been in Business

We are also seeing more facilities being started by people who do not really understand the Florida direct cremation industry. It’s imperative that your facility knows the ins and outs of each city they are in. When you have a direct cremation in Florida, there are special rules for each area. For example, direct cremations in St. Petersburg can have different county fees than direct cremations in Port Charlotte. That’s why it is so important that you have a facility that can handle each city like they have lived there for their whole life. At Going Home Cremations, we have been in Southwest Florida doing cremations for over 20 years, and know the ins and outs of all the areas we service.

At Going Home Cremations, our main goal is helping families because compassion is at the heart of our care. If you are out of our service area but just want to ask questions on some facilities you are looking at for a cremation in Florida, call us! We will try and help guide you to pick a cremation facility that is dignified but offering affordable cremations.

Cremation: What to Do with The Ashes Afterwards.

01.25.2021

After your loved one has had a cremation, the next step in the process is for you and your family to decide what you should do with the cremated ashes. There are many options for a family when it comes to what to do with cremated ashes.

First things first, you need to decide if you will have cremation facility handle the ashes or your family once the cremation is completed. For example, At Going Home Cremations, we can scatter the ashes of a loved one for you if you do not want to do it yourself. There are many places we are able to scatter ashes including the ocean.

If you will be taking the cremated ashes once the cremation is completed, then you must decide what you will do the cremated remains. There are a few options:

Keep the Ashes at Home:

You can purchase an urn and keep the urn with the ashes at home. This is what many people typically do when they have a loved one cremated. You can also split the ashes, so many family members can have ashes in their home. We would suggest arranging ashes being split with the cremation facility you are using. The facility can also put the ashes in each urn for you, sometimes at little or no cost.

What to Do with The Ashes scattering ashes cremations

Bury the Ashes or Put Them in A Columbarium:

You can bring the urn to a cemetery and have it put into a niche or family plot. Cremation facilities will not be able to help you with this part, you will have to go to a cemetery to purchase space. The costs for doing this can be significant so we suggest shopping around to a few cemeteries or even seeing if individual sellers are selling their plots. You can either bury the urn or put it into a columbarium.

Scatter the Ashes:

You can scatter the ashes or even just scatter part of the ashes. Scattering rules and regulations depending on where you are, so check out of blog that speaks more about it here: https://goinghomecremations.com/scatterings-ashes-in-florida/. There are many options when It comes to scattering ashes. You can scatter ashes in the sea, or even a state park. You are also able to scatter ashes on private land if you get permission.

Make the Ashes into Diamonds

You can make the cremated remains in diamonds. It’s an expensive process but in the end, you get real diamonds out of the process. We can help you with this at Going Home Cremations. Cremation diamonds are real diamonds made from human cremation ashes. Firstly, the carbon of the cremation ashes is purified. Then, it is pressed into a cremation diamond with high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) machine.

Add the Ashes to a Manmade Reef:

You can add your loved one’s ashes to a man-made reef called Eternal Reef. https://www.eternalreefs.com

Plant the Ashes:

There are different companies that offer the ability for you to plant your loved one’s ashes with a tree. The types of trees options vary from Maple Trees all the way to Palm trees.

Turn the Ashes into Ammo:

We work with a company called Holy Smokes, and they are able to turn your loved one’s ashes into ammo. You can even get colored ammo for military gun salutes. http://www.myholysmoke.com

Send the Ashes to Space:

There is a company that offers different options to send cremated ashes to space, they are called Celestis. https://www.celestis.com

No matter what you choose to do with your loved ones cremated ashes, know at Going Home Cremation, we offer you the most affordable direct cremation service in Florida. https://www.goinghomecremations.com

The Rules of Shipping and Flying with Cremated Remains and Ashes

01.17.2021

Shipping and Flying with Cremated Ashes and Remains

It happens almost every day, the untimely death of a family member while out of state or even the country. Or a loved one dies in Florida while in retirement, but you live outside of Florida. What do you do when something like that happens and you want your loved one’s ashes sent some where different than where they passed? You are most likely going to have to fly or ship the cremated remains to their destination. There are many rules and regulations surrounding shipping ashes nationally or flying with them domestically.

Shipping Cremated Remains:

Once your loved one has been cremated; you do have the option of shipping their ashes once the direct cremation is done. However, there are many rules and regulations surrounding shipping ashes. First, cremated remains are only allowed to be shipped via USPS. They must be shipped overnight via Priority Mail Express. You must have something called a label 139 to accompany the ashes that will be shipped. The priority mail express will provide tracking for the shipment. You can also ship ashes internationally via USPS Priority Mail Express International. However, you must ensure the country will accept cremated remains. Also Priority Mail Express International must be an option to ship cremated ashes to.

The packaging of shipping cremated ashes is very important with a few requirements. If you use your direct crematory to help you ship the ashes, they should be able to do it all for you. If not, check out this link to UPS shipping guidelines for cremated remains: https://about.usps.com/publications/pub139.pdf. At Going Home Cremation, we offer the service of shipping cremated ashes for our families. The USPS prices tend to vary between $100-$300 depending on where they cremated remains need to be shipped to.

Flying with Cremated Remains:

You are legally allowed to fly with cremated ashes as long as you follow some specific guidelines. In the US, most airlines will allow you to fly with cremated remains, but each carrier has a different policy and you must double check their policy. If you are bringing the cremated remains on as a carry on, you must ensure that the urn holding the remains can go through the X-Ray machine, and allow TSA to see the full contents. Stone urns, metal urns, ceramic urns and any other material that is not easily x-rayed will not be allowed. Plastic, cardboard, and most wood urns are okay for the X-ray machine and should be allowed through the TSA security check point. The TSA will not open any urns or examine cremated remains, even if granted permission, so ensure cremation ashes are packed properly prior to going through security.

In Florida, when you are flying with cremated remains, you need two documents: A burial transit permit and a certificate of cremation. The crematory you work with should be able to provide you with both items with ease. You can also put cremated ashes in your luggage, and we suggest that if you do so, attach a copy of the burial transit permit and certificate of cremation to the ashes in your luggage. If you are flying with cremated ashes as a carry on, you should bring both of these documents with you in case there are any questions. If you have any more questions, contact TSA and check out this link about their guidelines: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/cremated-remains.

At Going Home Cremations, we can help. We are able to help you ship or fly with you your loved one’s cremated ashes. Visit our website https://www.GoingHomeCremations.com or call 941-320-1179.

The Differences Between Direct Cremation and Cremation

01.07.2021

At Going Home Cremations, we know it can be very confusing to understand the differences between what a direct cremation is and what a cremation is. At the time your loved one passes in a hospital or hospice, there are so many options on what to do once your loved one passes. One of the first things you will realize is you have the option between a burial and a cremation. If you pick a cremation, you then need to figure out if you want a direct cremation or a cremation.

Cremation

The biggest different between a direct cremation and a cremation is that a cremation is MUCH MORE expensive. This is due to a normal funeral being involved with a cremation. With a cremation, the body is brought from the hospital or hospice and sent directly to a funeral home. The funeral home then performs normal funeral body preparations like embalming, dressing and body preparations for cremation viewings. This use to be the most popular way to handle a cremation, but due to costs that can be upwards of $7000 compared to $1000 for a direct cremation, it is falling out of favor.

The cost are so high due to families paying for a funeral director, casket, embalming, and then on top of that a cremation, when all is said and done. Also, the environmental concerns of embalming have also taken cremation out of favor compared to direct cremation. With a normal cremation, there is the option of a viewing for a family, like what would be expected if a burial was chosen

In a cremation, a family can choose to have a funeral like what would occur in a burial or have a viewing. This will change the costs for a cremation as well. In a viewing, there is less body preparation compared to a full funeral. With a viewing, it is possible to not have the body embalmed. Whereas, a normal funeral with a cremation, there is an embalming.

Direct Cremation

In a direct cremation, the body is taken from where the person died, directly to the crematory. This is the biggest difference between the two, because in a direct cremation the body is not prepared for viewing. This can save families thousands of dollars as well as make the cremation process faster for families in case they need death certificates for estate matters.

Once the body is at the crematory, the cremation process is very fast, with the actual cremation only taking between one to three hours. Once the body is cremated, the rest of the direct cremation process is very fast. One additional advantage of the direct cremation is that once the cremation is completed, the family can still have a service but save considerable amount of time and not be on a time crunch for scheduling a service.

On average a direct cremation in Florida can start around $1000, which is much less than what a cremation in Florida would cost. Additionally, during the time of COVID, it does not make much sense to have a cremation or burial due to social distancing rules. It is important to note, no cremation will occur less than about 5-7 business days. This is due to a medical examiner looking over what the doctors notes are about the cause of death.

At Going Home Cremations, we can help you arrange a direct cremation for your loved one in Florida.

Scatterings Ashes in Florida: Rules and Where to Scatter

12.29.2020

At Going Home Cremations, we offering cremation for your loved ones. Once a cremation is finished you have the option of scattering ashes. There are a few regulations around scattering cremation ashes in Florida.

In Florida, there are no state laws or restrictions on where you can keep or scatter ashes. If you decide to scatter ashes of a loved one, there are many options available in Florida. The cremation process makes it so a person are harmless, and there are no health risks related to scattering ashes. Even when it comes to a COVID related death, once a person has been cremated, there are no issues with scattering cremated ashes.

Even though Florida doesn’t have laws regarding scattering ashes, certain cities and counties within the state may have their own rules. Also, state parks and national parks have their own rules and there are federal guidelines to follow related to scattering ashes at sea. It is recommended to contact the local public authority before scattering ashes to make sure they do not have special regulations or procedures.

Options to scatter ashes in Florida:

As Sea: Scattering ashes at sea is a very popular way to scatter ashes in Florida. At Going Home Cremation, we can guide you in the rules and regulations of scattering ashes in the sea. We also offer additional packages for scattering ashes in the sea in Florida. The EPA requires that it be notified of a scattering at sea within 30 days of it occurring. You can call the EPA or go to their website and fill out a simple form before scattering. Federal law requires that ashes are to be scattered at least 3 nautical miles from the shore and it is very important to follow these rules. If caught scattering ashes closer to shore than 3 nautical miles, there can be fines associated with the scattering. At Going Home Cremations, we can offer services to scatter ashes 3 nautical miles off the shore.

When scattering ashes at sea, you can use special biodegradable urns that are ecofriendly and make the scattering at sea a memorable experience. We offer these type of urns, just please contact us. https://goinghomecremations.com/urns/

Private Property: You are allowed in Florida to scatter ashes on your personal property. You are also allowed to ask permission to scatter ashes on someone else’s private property. It is wise to get written consent if you are scattering ashes on someone else’s private land in Florida

Public Land: There are many beautiful public lands available for scattering ashes in Florida. It is important to contact the regulating authorities of the public land you want to scatter the cremated remains on before scattering. There are special regulations for scattering as sea.

Federal Land: For scattering ashes on federal land, it can vary from park to park. Some parks will allow it, some will not. It is common practice to have specific areas allowed for scattering ashes and many parks require a permit before scattering. We suggest reaching out to the governing federal land before scattering the ashes in Florida.

Cemeteries: Some cemeteries have areas where scattering ashes is allowed. This service will cost a fee and varies from cemetery to cemetery.

Air: There are no rules or regulations prohibiting scattering ashes in Florida by air. But make sure to only scatter the ashes and not the urn or box holding the ashes.

Category: Cremation