2024 Report to the Citizens of Orange County

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Scan the QR code or go to MyOrangeClerk.com to view this report online.

From Your Clerk of Courts

As I reflect on this past year, one of the highlights from 2023 that stands out is how my office was able to make a larger impact for our diverse community. Part of the reason for this was more in-person experiences that created more opportunities to make a difference.

Some examples of this include the opening of two branch locations on select Saturdays to give customers more options. Over the summer, my staff and I volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and United Against Poverty Orlando for what we called an “Impact Day of Service” to help fight hunger in our local community. Our efforts helped feed more than 12,000 families. My office hosted free legal forums on the legal process of Child Support, and Guardianship. Also, in our annual United Way campaign, I’m very delighted to say my office raised more than $32,000 for the Heart of Florida United Way. It was one of the largest amounts my office has ever raised for the campaign.

I’m proud of the hard work and dedication my staff give to make an impact for our community and customers. At the same time, we had to hire an unprecedented number of staff because of high turnover, so employee wellbeing was also a focus.

I was excited to see that for a third year Florida legislators passed the Clerk’s priority bill to continue stabilizing our budget model. The legislation is providing more stable revenue sources for court-related services which Clerk’s Offices need to effectively serve residents, businesses, and support our judicial and law enforcement partners. I was also installed as President-Elect of the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller’s (FCCC) Board of Directors, and this coming year I am excited that my next step will be President. This is part of my continued effort to have statewide influence which in turn helps my office serve you right here in our local community.

I hope you enjoy this report and will take time to see examples where my office worked to assist our community and customers.

I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to serve you.

Tiffany Moore Russell Orange County Clerk of Courts

Meet Your Clerk!

Degree:

• Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of South Florida

• Juris Doctorate, Florida State University College of Law

Previous Jobs:

• Attorney at the Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida

• Orange County Commissioner

Making History:

• In 2014, Clerk Russell became the first African American female Clerk elected in Florida and the first African American Clerk in Orange County!

Family:

• Clerk Russell is married to Anthony K. Russell, Jr.

• Proud parents of two boys, Anthony and Aiden

Favorite Food:

• Soul Food

Favorite Sport:

• Football

Favorite Pastime:

• Watching movies

Find out more about your Orange County Clerk of Courts.

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Our Strategy to Serve

We closed out our latest strategic plan in 2023 with numerous accomplishments. A few include the creation of a cyber security prevention plan, a hybrid remote flexible work policy for staff, new Saturday hours at two branch locations, and the securing of extra federal funding to support our cyber security safety.

At the Clerk’s Office, our work is centered on serving our customers and the community. We make sure that is evident in our mission, vision, and objectives.

Mission

To maintain court records and provide our global community and partners access to related services with transparency and integrity.

Beyond Digital Transformation

Transform the organization and its culture by evolving our digital framework, enhancing data security, and utilizing analytics for decision-making.

Fiscal Accountability

Maximize our financial resources to ensure the successful implementation of organizational goals.

Vision

To be a leading organization that elevates the customer experience, leverages technology, and fosters community partnerships all through an engaged workforce.

Our Objectives

Access to Justice

Develop and expand access to clerk services for all in the community.

Employee Focus

Intentionally seek, develop, engage, and maintain an agile, highly skilled workforce that evolves with the needs of the organization.

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Managing Our Money

The Clerk’s Office provides critical services that affect public safety, commerce, and access to justice. Per state statutes, we operate by the fines and fees we collect, not by traditional taxes, and the money we collect helps fund many other entities.

The Orange County Clerk’s total court related budget for fiscal year 2023 was $30.8 million. By statute, we disburse millions of dollars collected each year to the state, county, and local municipalities.

In the end, we only keep a small portion of the money we collect each year.

Total Collected in Fiscal Year 2023

$104.5 Million Court Only

29% (30.1 million)

51% State Agencies

What we keep What We Disburse

10%

Unclaimed Money Returned to Customers

The Clerk’s Office was able to return more than $80 thousand dollars in unclaimed checks this past year to people who were owed money that was never claimed. The checks were mailed but for various reasons never cashed. In the end, we were able to reissue 302 checks. Each year, we return unclaimed money such as uncashed vendor payments, refunds, restitution, and cash bonds to the rightful owners.

In 2023 we returned

$80,958.23

Clerk in the Sunshine

We are proud to support and celebrate the importance of public records and open government. Want to see our approved budget and audits?

Check out our “Clerk in the Sunshine” page.

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Orange

Local Municipalities & Agencies

County

Access to Justice

Open on Saturdays

To provide more convenience for customers, we opened our Ocoee and Winter Park branches one Saturday each month in 2023 as a pilot. These days were so successful, with nearly 500 customers taking advantage of them, the extra hours were continued. The same services offered during the week are available such as marriage licenses and ceremonies, passports, and payments. Both appointments and walk-ins are welcome. This is another option to make doing business with us easier.

Click here to learn more

Free Legal Forums

Each year we hold free legal forums called “Legal Matters” to provide free legal information and assistance to our community. Subject matter experts, lawyers, and judges join us for these legal webinars. This past year we held forums on child support, and guardianship. The forums give insight to our services, tips from judges with the 9th Judicial Circuit, legal information from attorneys, and an interactive Q & A session. Clerk Russell initiated these forums as part of her goal to provide better access to justice.

Click here to see these forums

Self Help Center

Now in its 9th year, the Self Help Center continues to assist citizens who may not be able to afford an attorney. Clerk Russell created the Self-Help Center to provide customers with legal guidance and low cost attorney consultations in Family Law, Small Claims, and Residential Evictions. Our office partners with the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) to provide attorney consultations for only $1 per minute. These consultations can be scheduled in 15-minute sessions for up to one hour a day.

Click here to learn more

Self Help Center FY23 Highlights

22,245 Customers Served

Sign Up for our Newsletter

2,854 Attorney Consultations

You can stay up to date on all the latest news and services, by signing up for Center Court, the Clerk’s Office newsletter.

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Legislative Update

Clerk Priority Bill Passes in Effort to Stabilize Budget

Like Clerks across the state, our office has been challenged with how services are funded, but for the third straight year, the state legislature heard our concerns and passed our priority bill.

Passed unanimously by both the House and the Senate in 2023, Committee Substitute/House Bill (CS/HB 977) diversified Clerk funding through the statutory distribution of certain revenues for court-related services, allowing Clerks to direct additional funding toward the services we provide the public.

The bill was another key to establishing long-term budget stability and protecting the critical services we provide. Thank you to the Orange County Legislative Delegation members for continuing to support our initiatives in Tallahassee!

Tort Reform Spurs Record Civil Filings

Also in 2023, the Florida Legislature passed sweeping tort reform which impacted claims and litigation. The new legislation prompted plaintiff’s attorneys to file a record number of lawsuits across the state. In Orange County, more than 110 thousand civil cases were filed for the year which meant our deputy clerks processed a record number of civil filings in a short time frame.

The sweeping tort reform applied only to lawsuits filed after the legislation went into effect. This prompted attorneys to flood the courts to have cases heard under the previous law.

Operation Green Light Helps Thousands

Our office was delighted to help more than 1,200 customers during Operation Green Light this past year. This annual initiative, set up by Florida statute, helps drivers with outstanding traffic tickets and criminal fines get on payment plans. This is the first step, so drivers can get their driver’s license reinstated and take care of overdue court fines and fees.

Suspended License?

We can help today with payment plans.

We can help any time with payment plans to help drivers get back on the road. You don’t have to wait for a special event. We offer flexible payment options for outstanding traffic or criminal court debts. If you or someone you know can benefit from this, click here to contact us to discuss options.

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Serving our Customers

Each year, we process millions of court case filings and maintain more than 67 million digital court documents. As the information hub of the justice system, our website provides online access to court records. Plus, we serve hundreds of thousands of customers onsite, online and over the phone. This data below shows how much of an impact we had serving our customers this past year during fiscal year 2023.

Online Highlights

26,172,954 Court Records Searched on MyeClerk

2,944,872 Court Documents Processed via E-Filing Portal

61,350,277

Total Website Page Views (MyOrangeClerk.com)

Customers Served

356,394 Onsite

250,167 Calls Answered

13,296 Marriage Licenses

82,481 Online

44,124 Passports

We receive many phone calls, so before calling or visiting our offices, contact us online to see if your questions can be answered. Simply go to our Contact Us page to submit a question or request.

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Serving Our Community

We love to make a difference in the lives of others across our community. Each year our employees volunteer their time at an annual service project, raise money for the United Way campaign, and participate in numerous community events. The three community outreach priorities we focus on are domestic violence awareness, access to justice, and mental health awareness.

Throughout this report you will see the top ways our staff along with partners like Harbor House, the Mental Health Association, Orange County Bar Association, and Orlando Police served citizens in Orange County.

642 volunteer hours for FY23

500 Seniors served a delicious holiday meal

13 Couples said “I Do“ on Valentine’s Day

$32,865 raised for United Way of Central Florida

12K+ families were fed as part of our 2023 Service Project!

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Employee Focus

Clerks Care

Clerks Care is not just a catchy name. It is how our organization and our people feel about each other and the community. Clerks Care is about making a difference not only by serving our customers but also each other. Our Clerks Care program was initiated to emphasize our workplace culture, engagement, well-being, growth, and community outreach. A few activities have included educational opportunities on mental health and well-being as well as an annual service project each year our staff participates in for the community.

Public Service Recognition Week

Each year, we take one week out to recognize and honor all our staff for the crucial work they do to serve our community. During Public Service Recognition Week, the first week of May, we celebrate our employees for the work they do as public servants. Public Service Recognition Week has been celebrated since 1985 as a national recognition for government employees.

Best Practices Excellence Program

Our office was recognized as having several best practices when it comes to Clerk of Courts across the state. The Florida Court Clerks & Comptroller’s Association (FCCC) recognized our office for 9 out of 10 best practices in 2023 for increased efficiency, improved customer service, and more effective collaboration. The 10th was not applicable to our office. This was the third year the Clerk’s Office was honored with this statewide recognition.

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We joined Harbor House of Central Florida for their “Trunk or Treat” serving domestic violence families. We partnered with Harbor House to hang flyers on door handles about domestic violence resources. We partnered with Court Administration, and the State Attorney’s office for Take a Child to Work Day. Mental Health Association CEO Marni Stahlman gave a mental health wellness workshop for staff.

Culture of Excellence

We are committed to a culture of excellence at the Clerk’s Office to deliver the best possible customer experience. Each year, we celebrate our employees who surpass expectations.

Tiffany Sterling ManagerJuvenileDivision Michael BeaumontComplianceDivision Sandra Jackson Civil Division Sharia Niles DataAnalyticsandQuality GwendolynAllen-Wafer FamilyDivision Diana Carvajal Data Analytics and Quality Estrella “Star” Melians Juvenile Division Jaya Misir Project Management Division WilmaPinney Probate/MentalHealthDivision Deanna PickettApopka/Ocoee Branches Bernadette Thompson Criminal Division Gina Parilla Finance Division Leida Bassil Family Division Monthly recognition to honor a deputy clerk who is nominated by a colleague for going above and beyond. Jessica Padilla Director of Data Analytics and Quality Quarterly recognition to honor a member of the management team for demonstrating outstanding leadership.

Clerk Services

We are committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences. Below are all the ways we make doing business with us easier because you can access many of our services online. In our digital version, just click on the highlighted link. In the print version, go to MyOrangeClerk.com for access to all these services.

1. Self-Help Center

Our Self-Help Center assists with low-cost virtual attorney consultations in Family Law, Small Claims, and Residential Evictions. You can make an appointment online for an attorney consultation.

2. Payments & Payment Plans

Our options include payments for a traffic ticket, criminal fine, child support, and the Family Ties program. We can help any time of the year with driver license reinstatement and payment plans. Customers don’t have to wait for an event.

3. Passports

You can apply for a passport at any of our four locations. To save time, read about passport requirements and make an appointment.

4. Marriage Licenses & Ceremonies

You can start your marriage license application right from our website and make an appointment to obtain your license and request a wedding ceremony.

5. Restraining Orders

You can file a petition for a restraining order on our website or at the Orange County Courthouse. There is no fee to file for a restraining order.

6. Search Court Records

You can search for court records by using various criteria such as names and case numbers.

7. Search Court Dates

You can search for court dates and hearing times by searching by name or case number or by date.

8. Traffic Ticket Options

You have several different options when receiving a traffic ticket. On our website, you can determine what traffic option applies to you.

Scan the QR code or go to MyOrangeClerk.com to view this report online.

9. My Balance

If you or someone you know has more than one case with our office, you can look up your total balance.

10. Foreclosure Sales

Foreclosure sales can be viewed and bids on foreclosed properties can be made right from our website.

11. Before You Visit

We have a Before you Visit checklist with what you need to know before you visit any of our four locations.

12. Request Copies

You can request copies of court records and other documents directly on our website.

13. Forms & Packets

Free forms and packets of forms are available for the filing of a new case or modifying a case in either the Family or Civil Courts.

Video Resources

Our YouTube channel has an extensive video library. These videos will give you a behind-the-scenes look at our office, help you access our services, and even show you what it’s like to work for the Clerk.