Volume 1, Issue 5 September 2019 C OLLIER C LERK N EWSLETTER April 2020 Message to the community… Have a Happy and Blessed Easter! As we enter into the Easter weekend, I want to wish everyone a blessed Easter. I heard someone say that we’d be impacted by “social distancing,” and the re- sponse was, “I hope we’re not distancing but merely spacing, as distancing im- plies a disconnect.” How true! If ever there was me to connect with others it ’s now. So, please safely enjoy connecng with family and friends during the holiday weekend, even if it must be done from far away. Our offices will be closed Good Friday and will re-open on Monday, April 13. In these changing mes, we want you to know that our office is connuing to operate. We have limited face-to-face transacons; however, we are connu- ing some services by appointment and our online services have been booming. While the recent shutdown of many businesses has changed our way of life in Collier County, it is crically important that we connue to provide essenal services. We are fortunate to have devoted staff at the Clerk ’s office working hard during the crisis to support our community. The good news in the shad- ow of the virus... Property is sll being bought and sold in Collier County. There are new deeds, sasfacons of mortgages and other documents being stamped and recorded in the County Record by the team in the Recording Department; Home construcon projects are sll moving forward in Collier County . Before a building permit can be issued, the Noce of Commencement must be stamped and recorded in the County Record; and Bills are being paid. The Clerk ’s Finance team is processing payments for products and services purchased by county government, and this supports our small and large businesses. Each invoice undergoes a thorough pre-payment review to verify that each contains accurate charges. Sending good and healthy thoughts your way, stay safe and healthy! Clerk’ s Operations COVID-19 Information Updated Information is posted regularly on CollierClerk.com All customer service counters closed. See Page 2. Most in-person services unavailable. See list -Page 2. On-line services are available 24/7. See Page 3 Contact us. - We’re here for you. See Page 2 Passport Services suspended until further notice by the Dept. of State. Jury duty suspended thru May 29. Fri., April 10 - Closed -Good Friday. Phone & email services resume Mon. April 13. Crystal K. Kinzel Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller (239) 252-2646
Transcript
Volume 1 , Issue 5
September 2019 COLLIER CLERK NEWSLETTER
April 2020
Message to the community…
Have a Happy and Blessed Easter!
As we enter into the Easter weekend, I want to wish everyone a blessed Easter. I heard someone say that we’d be impacted by “social distancing,” and the re-sponse was, “I hope we’re not distancing but merely spacing, as distancing im-plies a disconnect.” How true! If ever there was time to connect with others it’s now. So, please safely enjoy connecting with family and friends during the holiday weekend, even if it must be done from far away. Our offices will be closed Good Friday and will re-open on Monday, April 13. In these changing times, we want you to know that our office is continuing to operate. We have limited face-to-face transactions; however, we are continu-ing some services by appointment and our online services have been booming. While the recent shutdown of many businesses has changed our way of life in Collier County, it is critically important that we continue to provide essential services. We are fortunate to have devoted staff at the Clerk’s office working hard during the crisis to support our community. The good news in the shad-ow of the virus...
Property is still being bought and sold in Collier County. There are new deeds, satisfactions of mortgages and other documents being stamped and recorded in the County Record by the team in the Recording Department; Home construction projects are still moving forward in Collier County. Before a building permit can be issued, the Notice of Commencement must be stamped and recorded in the County Record; and Bills are being paid. The Clerk’s Finance team is processing payments for products and services purchased by county government, and this supports our small and large businesses. Each invoice undergoes a thorough pre-payment review to verify that each contains accurate charges. Sending good and healthy thoughts your way, stay safe and healthy!
Clerk’s Operations COVID-19 Information
Updated Information is posted regularly on CollierClerk.com
All customer service counters closed.
See Page 2.
Most in-person services unavailable. See list -Page 2.
For customers of the Clerk with no other means to submit documents that require processing by the Recording Department or by the Court Services Department, such as:
Documents to be recorded in the Official Record
Court Documents to be filed
Court payments
Traffic School - Certificate of Completion
The lock box is available during regular business hours only.
Collier Courthouse
(Lobby, just past security) 3315 Tamiami Trail East
Naples FL 34112
For more information, (239) 252-2646.
Coll i er Clerk Newslet ter Page 3
Stay in Your Pajamas and Do Business
with the Clerk’s Office
A wide-range of secure online services are available 24/7,
from your living room or anywhere, at
www.CollierClerk.com
E-Payments - Pay traffic citations, court fees and fines; E-Filing - File court documents via the Florida Courts e-Filing Portal (Registration required); E-Recording - Use the Business Portal to electronically submit documents for recording in the Official Rec-ord, such as deeds, mortgages, and other official records. (Registration required); Forms - Access frequently used forms including Declaration of Domicile, Notice of Commencement, small claims and other court forms; Job Opportunities -View and apply for job opportunities at the Clerk’s office; Risk Alert Notifications - Subscribe to the Clerk’s free risk alert notification service to monitor your proper-ty records for fraudulent activity;
Records - Access to thousands of records to view and print, including: Court records (Civil, Traffic, Probate and Criminal);
Official land records, such as deeds, liens, plat maps, mortgages, condo docs, and more; Financial records; and,
Minutes and records of the Board of County Commissioners. Unclaimed Money - Check the list of names of those people and businesses who have money owed to them by county government or tax deed funds.
Within the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes is a “checks and balances” system that entrusts the duties of auditor, accountant, and custodian of county funds to the state’s independently elected Clerks and Comp-trollers. This structure has served citizens and taxpayers well for many years and is fundamental to ensuring prudent, accurate and lawful spending of taxpayer dollars.
Just how beneficial is the “checks and balances” system to Collier County taxpayers? Huge! For example, au-dits of $100 million in Hurricane Irma expenses resulted in the correction of almost a million dollars ’ worth of irregularities prior to payment, and in 2019, the pre-payment review of vendor invoices uncovered errors that saved county taxpayers over $1 million.
But if the Clerk is the auditor, who audits the auditor?
Because of multiple and varied fiscal responsibilities, the Clerk may be one of the most audited agencies with-in any local, state or federal government organization. The Clerk is regularly audited by a multitude of agen-cies to ensure systems are in place and generally accepted accounting principles are being applied.
A partial list of organizations that regularly audit the Collier County
Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller include:
Annual audit by an independent external audit firm, currently CliftonLarsonAllen;
Florida Clerk of Courts Operations Corporation;
Auditor General of the State of Florida;
Office of the State Courts Administrator;
Department of Revenue of the State of Florida;
Department of Children and Families (DCF);
Audits of grant funds administered by the county for various state and federal agencies;
Florida Department of Law Enforcement;
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) annually audits the Comprehensive Annual Financial Re-port (CAFR), and for 33 consecutive years has bestowed the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
To learn more about the auditing role and responsibilities of the Clerk and Comptroller, visit Collierclerk.com and click on the Internal Audit tab.
Marc D. Tougas Director, Information Technology Department
Marc D. Tougas is the director of the Clerk’s Information Technology (CIT) Department; a position he has held for 13 years. In addition to providing services for all departments in the Clerk’s agency, Marc and his team of 24 maintain databases of official county records and court records. The department also manages the Clerk’s website, Collier-Clerk.com and the countywide financial system, SAP.
Marc is from a small town in northern Ontario, Canada. He worked his way through college as an orderly in a hospital and also once worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Just prior to joining the Clerk’s office, Marc was Vice President of Software Development for Allen Systems Group here in Naples. An experienced soft-ware developer, Marc has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and numerous certifications.
In 2008, a very significant event occurred in the lives of Marc and his wife, Michelle. After a 10-year process, Marc and Michelle joyfully became citizens of the United States. Marc is a proud American, and is known for tearing-up whenever he hears the Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the USA.”
A man of many talents, Marc, together with Michelle, built an entire house…every nail, pipe and board. They have two adult children and three grandchildren.
Coll i er Clerk Newslet ter Page 5
New Location Eagle Creek Satellite Office
Attention residents of south Collier County, including Marco Island, Goodland, Isles of Capri, and neighborhoods in the area of the CR 951/US 41 intersection. The Eagle Creek Government Services Satellite Office has moved. After the COVID-19 crisis, when regular services have resumed, go to the new location for Clerk services and all other services that were available at the old location.
Old Eagle Creek Location 12668 Tamiami Trail East
New Eagle Creek Location
6654 Collier Boulevard, #101 Naples FL 34114
The new location is south of US 41, in front of the Walmart Super-store. Phone number remains the same - (239) 252-2654.
Like Us - Follow Us
New Programs & Services
Important Information
Upcoming Events
News from the Courthouse
Facebook.com/CollierClerk
Coll i er Clerk Newslet ter Page 6
Watch Clerk Kinzel’s recent appearance on SWFL Real Estate
Update with James York. Go to Facebook.com/CollierClerk.
“G o d b l e s s A m e r i c a , l a n d t h a t I l o v e , S t a n d b e s i d e h e r , a n d g u i d e h e r , T h r o u g h t h e n i g h t w i t h a l i g h t f r o m a b o v e . F r o m t h e m o u n t a i n s , t o t h e p r a i r i e s , T o t h e o c e a n s w h i t e w i t h f o a m , G o d b l e s s A m e r i c a , M y h o m e s w e e t h o m e , G o d b l e s s A m e r i c a , M y h o m e s w e e t h o m e . ” - Ir v i n g B e r l i n
Don’t Miss an Edition of Our Newsletter!
To sign-up to receive our newsletter or to access a printable version, go to CollierClerk.com
For more information about newsletter content, or about the Clerk’s operations:
Mike Sheffield Director, Community Relations and Outreach
The Employees of the Collier Clerk Wish Everyone a Happy Easter and Happy Passover.
In observance of Good Friday, the Office of the Clerk of Courts will be closed on Good Friday, April 10. Phone and email services will resume on Mon., April 13.
![Friday Night [under the] Lights… 2021€¦ · Friday Night [under the] Lights… 2021. Happy Friday... And Happy New Year. And Happ y-2020-is-over. And Happy anything on the plane](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/60c6b789c4316102aa0d997c/friday-night-under-the-lights-2021-friday-night-under-the-lights-2021-happy.jpg)
