2026 annual report

Report to the Citizens of Orange County

2026

Welcome to Our Annual Report Report to the Citizens of Orange County Clerk of Courts are the operational backbone of Florida’s justice system.

We are entrusted with more than 1,000 statutory and constitutional duties, in protecting the vulnerable, and facilitating the administration of justice. In short, Clerks play an essential role in Florida’s economy, and our way of life.

The Orange County Clerk’s Office maintains and protects more than 102 million digital court documents, as well as millions of paper records for the 9th Judicial Circuit Court – numbers that grow each day.

We assist customers with affordable Self Help services and attorney consultations, file domestic violence injunctions and seek help for a loved one with mental health or substance abuse issues. Customers come to us to pay traffic and criminal fines, initiate or contest a civil case, pursue probate issues, and make child support payments. We process passport applications and issue marriage licenses - we even perform wedding ceremonies.

Navigating our digital document • The digital version of this report is interactive.

• You can move forward and backward.

• Links are also highlighted.

• Look for our mascot “Slice” and click on him to interact with the report.

• Scan the code or go to MyOrangeClerk.com to view the digital version.

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Message From Your Clerk of Courts As I reflect on 2025, I am proud of what our office accomplished and grateful for the dedicated team who made it possible.

This year’s milestones reflect our shared commitment to serving Orange County with excellence and ensuring access to justice for all.

The year began with my Oath of Office, reaffirming the responsibility entrusted to me and our office and reinforcing the importance of integrity, transparency, and public service. I am fortunate to lead a team that serves our community with professionalism, care, and purpose.

In 2025, I also concluded my tenure as President of the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers Association (FCCC). This statewide leadership role provided an opportunity to advocate for Clerks across Florida, including the introduction of the first-ever State of the Clerks address. This historic initiative elevated awareness of the essential role Clerks play in Florida’s justice system, highlighting accomplishments, challenges, and the need for stable funding to support critical services.

Legislative engagement remained a priority throughout the year. In collaboration with our local legislative delegation and statewide partners, we advanced efforts to support Clerk operations, protect public access to records, and strengthen court services—ensuring we remain fiscally responsible while meeting growing demands.

A major milestone was the opening of a new, state-of-the-art courthouse in Winter Park, expanding our ability to serve the community. We also expanded Self Help services to the Winter Park branch, providing self-represented individuals with access to low-cost attorney consultations and legal guidance. Additionally, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Orange County’s first Self-Help Center, the Lydia Gardner Self-Help Center, which has expanded access to justice for selfrepresented litigants for a decade.

Looking ahead, our priorities remain focused on customer service, employee experience, and operational excellence. We will continue investing in our people, modernizing processes, and strengthening partnerships to ensure our office remains responsive, trusted, and prepared for the future.

Tiffany Moore Russell

Orange County Clerk of Courts

Click here to meet your Clerk!

Election & Leadership Milestones 2010

2006

Elected Orange County Commissioner - District 6 Youngest Commissioner Ever Elected

Re-Elected Orange County Commissioner District 6

2016 2020

2014

Elected Orange County Clerk of Courts.

First Female African American Clerk in Florida & in Orange County.

Re-Elected as Clerk of Courts

2024

Re‑elected Clerk of Courts and installed as President of the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers Association

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Our Strategy to Serve Our strategy at the Clerk’s Office is to deliver exceptional service by focusing on the customer experience, operational excellence, and employee experience. With that in mind, we work every day to follow our Purpose Statement, which is to Support each other, Care about our community, and Serve our customers.

#SupportCareServe.

Two years into our strategic plan, we’re seeing strong momentum.

2025 brought key milestones, including the opening of a stateof-the-art Winter Park courthouse and expanded Self Help services at that location, making it easier for customers representing themselves to navigate legal matters. We also hosted more events to help customers restore their rights by providing the documents needed to seal and expunge court records. We strengthened cybersecurity protections for data and court records. Employee growth, engagement, and well-being remained central to our work throughout the year.

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Your Dollars at Work

Clerk in the Sunshine Want to see our approved budget and audits?

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

Click here to see our “Clerk in the Sunshine” page.

The Orange County Clerk’s total court-related budget for fiscal year 2025 was $34.4 million.

One of the main responsibilities of the Clerk’s Office is to collect fines and fees and distribute them to appropriate entities. 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 2025

$107 million Court Only

What We Collect, What We Keep, and What We Disburse

Unclaimed Money Returned to Customers We returned more than more than fifty‑one 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 reissued 226 checks totaling $51,558.85. Each year, we return unclaimed money such as uncashed vendor payments, refunds, restitution, and cash bonds to the rightful owners.

In 2025, we returned

$51,558.85 5

Customer Experience Delivering exceptional customer experiences and building impactful partnerships with our community.

We strive to make it more efficient and easier for customers to access our services to do business with us.

Self Help 10 Year Anniversary Ten years ago, Clerk Russell launched the first Self Help Center to assist those representing themselves in Family Law, Small Claims, and Residential Evictions. In partnership with the Orange County Bar Association, we offer affordable consultations—$1 per minute, up to one hour per day. In 2025 alone, we assisted more than 15,000 customers and held nearly 3,000 attorney consultations.

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Over the past 10 years, we’ve proudly served more than 200,000 people and completed 24,000 attorney appointments!

Customer Experience

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Sealing and Expunging Court Records In an effort to help customers get back on track, our office teamed up with other justice partners and elected officials for two sealing & expungement events this past year. Our deputy clerks helped more than 40 people get their nonviolent court records sealed or expunged to help them restore their rights.

New Courthouse in Winter Park Opens To enhance our customers’ experience, we opened the new Orange County Courthouse in Winter Park this past year. Located off University Boulevard near Goldenrod Road, the new location is three times the size of the former branch office and is the result of an $18.9 million investment by Orange County Government. The expanded space has two courtrooms, a larger wedding ceremony room, and a larger waiting area to ensure a more comfortable experience for all visitors. Find out more.

Self Help Services Expand to New Courthouse The new Winter Park location was the perfect site to expand Self Help services for customers in need of legal assistance. The branch has a separate room for affordable in-person attorney consultations in Family Law, Small Claims, and Residential Evictions. In-person consultations are available once a week on Thursdays, with remote sessions three times a week. The consultations are only $1 per minute. Click here to book a consultation.

Free Legal Forums Each year, we host free “Legal Matters” forums to provide valuable legal information to the community. This past year, experts, lawyers, and judges joined our office to discuss Probate, estate planning, and traffic payment options for people trying to resolve traffic tickets.

Attendees can ask questions, learn about services, and receive tips. Clerk Russell initiated these forums as part of her commitment to improve access to justice.

Click here to view the forums.

Saturday Hours for Your Convenience In order to provide more convenient times and hours for customers, the Ocoee and Winter Park branches continue to open one Saturday each month to make it easier for customers to do business with us. The same services offered during the week at our branch locations, such as marriage licenses and ceremonies, passports, and payments are available. Since Saturday hours began, more than 3,000 customers have been served. Find out more.

Operation Green Light Assists Thousands Each year during Operation Green Light, we help customers with payment plans for overdue traffic tickets and criminal fines. This annual initiative, required by Florida statute, helps drivers take the first step toward reinstating their licenses. But you don’t have to wait for an event like this! We offer flexible payment plans year-round for outstanding traffic or criminal court debts. Click here to contact us and explore your options.

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Operational Excellence Delivering value in our services with quality and efficiency.

We are committed to improving our processes, delivering high-quality and accessible services, and earning the public’s trust.

Recognized for Excellence in Service For the fifth year in a row, our office was recognized by the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers Association (FCCC) Best Practices Excellence Program.

A few of the key practices included Appeals, Evidence Storage and Destruction, and Guardianship Audits. Achieving these best practices ensures we operate more efficiently, improve customer service, and foster stronger collaboration with our justice partners.

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Operational Excellence Maintaining Court Records while Protecting Personal Information Processing and maintaining court documents—while protecting sensitive and personal information—is a core responsibility of our office. In our most recent redaction audit, we achieved a 98% overall passing rate, significantly reducing the risk of confidential information being disclosed publicly. These results help safeguard residents’ privacy and reinforce public trust in the court system.

Strengthening Cybersecurity to Protect Public Data To better protect sensitive information and the digital services the public relies on, we completed a comprehensive cybersecurity audit based on nationally recognized standards, identifying potential risks and strengthening safeguards across our systems. These improvements reduce the risk of cyber incidents, enhance protection of sensitive information, and give the public greater confidence in the security and reliability of the services we provide—reinforcing our commitment to data protection.

Preparing for a Potential Disaster Our technology teams performed a successful disaster recovery exercise, so that our critical applications can be smoothly transitioned to a backup location when needed. This ensures that if something happens to our main data center—like a power outage or natural disaster—we can continue to provide services to customers with minimal downtime. This important test proved that we are able to keep critical systems running during an emergency.

Improving Evidence Handling to Protect Justice This year, we conducted a comprehensive process review of our Evidence Division, which improved efficiency, accuracy, and service quality. This ensures that evidence is handled securely and delivered when needed in court. These improvements help cases move forward without delay and support fair, reliable outcomes for the public we serve.

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Employee Experience Delivering an employee experience that is supportive, inspiring, and gives employees purpose.

We are committed to creating a supportive workplace where employees can grow professionally and feel confident in a culture built on transparency and trust.

822

Community Service Impact Hours

Our “Clerks Care” Team, which consists of staff and community partners volunteered a total of 822 community service hours in FY ‘25.

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Employee Experience

I cannot sing the praises of the office & the team enough. The sense of community and concern is truly felt.

Your clerks went above and beyond!

-Customer Comment

Recognizing the Heart of #SupportCareServe

At the heart of our #SupportCareServe commitment is a dedication to both our team and the customers we serve.

During Public Service Recognition Week — a national observance honoring government employees — we celebrated our staff whose professionalism, compassion, and excellence are consistently reflected in positive customer feedback. We also host a Spirit Week to strengthen teamwork and camaraderie, knowing that when we invest in our employees, our customers experience the difference.

Supporting Employee Wellbeing

Employee wellbeing remains a top priority at the Clerk’s Office. We are intentional about creating opportunities that support both personal and professional health, including hosting Lunch & Learn sessions focused on mental health and healthy eating. These conversations help our staff manage stress, build healthier habits, and thrive at work and at home. Investing in our employees’ wellbeing strengthens not only our workplace culture, but the service we provide to our community.

Caring for Our Clerk Family

Living out our commitment to Support, Care, and Serve begins within our own Clerk family. The Clerk’s Cupboard, an internal food pantry, was created to assist employees during a federal government shutdown, ensuring staff facing financial uncertainty had access to essential, non-perishable items. Also, during the holidays, the Holiday Clerk Kindness Project further supported our team by providing gifts to children of employees in need, funded through leadership contributions—reminding our staff they are never alone.

Investing in Our People

LIFT—Learn, Inspire, Focus, Thrive—is our mentoring program designed to help employees grow so they can better serve the public. The program connects team members with senior leaders, encourages collaboration across divisions, and provides hands-on leadership development. By strengthening skills and expanding knowledge of our services, LIFT helps employees deliver more responsive and effective service to the community.

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Customers Served 164,941

368,045

15,460

40,167

Calls Answered

Marriage Licenses

Onsite

Passports

Online Highlights

8,592,420

Total Website Page Views (MyOrangeClerk.com) 12

37,921,278

Court Records Searched on MyeClerk

2,413,665 Court Documents Processed via E-Filing Portal

Serving Our Community Through our Clerks Care volunteer initiative, our team serves beyond the courthouse to make a meaningful impact in the community. Each year, employees give their personal time to support service projects, the United Way campaign, and outreach focused on access to justice, domestic violence awareness, and mental health.

One of our largest efforts this year was a neighborhood cleanup in Apopka, where 30 volunteers picked up trash, beautified the area, and assisted local residents. By partnering with organizations such as Harbor House, the Mental Health Association, the Orange County Bar Association, the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and the State Attorney’s Office, we continue to show our community that we truly care about the people we serve.

$41,852.16 Raised for

the Heart of Florida United Way.

17 Couples

said “I do” on Valentine’s Day.

500+ Seniors

served a holiday meal.

120 Hours

volunteered at the Apopka Community Cleanup.

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We cultivate a culture of excellence to help create the best possible experience for our customers!

Every year, we proudly celebrate our employees who go above and beyond to exceed expectations and deliver exceptional service.

Quarterly recognition honoring a member of management for demonstrating ip. Catalina Murp outstanding leadersh hy Analytics M

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Monthly recognition honor a deputy cle to who is nominated rk colleague for goin by a g above and beyond.

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Asst. Directo

Rivera Luis “Pito” agement

Christina T aylor

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alez-Moreno Evelyn Gonz p. & Benefits

Tameka B om rown Manager, C Asst. Manag er, Traffic D ivision

Lesline McIn tosh Juven ile Division

Civil Divisio

right Tessaye W ivision Traffic D

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Nation e tt e Ann ision e Juvenil

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Varisa Rhym

Apopka/Oco

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Melvin Arroyo Family Division

Julianna Ramos Traffic Division

Katrina Woods Civil Division

Chris Jones IT Division

Faith Freem a

n Human Res ources

wrence a L a i h s Mie ivision D Family

Our Services We are dedicated to giving our customers the best service possible. Below are all the ways we make doing business with us easier, because you can access many of our services right online. In our digital version, just click on the highlighted link. In the print version, go to MyOrangeClerk.com to access these services.

1. Self Help Services Our Orlando and Winter Park locations assist with low-cost attorney consultations in family law, small claims, and residential evictions. You can make an appointment online for an attorney consultation.

2. Payments & Payment Plans You never have to wait for a special event. We have many payment options and payment plans. These options include making payments for a traffic ticket, criminal fine, child support, and the Family Ties program.

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.

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 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.

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.

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Report to the Citizens of Orange County

2026

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