Clerk’sCorner

Legislature Passes Bill to Help Stabilize and Diversify Funding for Clerks of Court

Iam pleased to share the Florida Court Clerk’s and Comptroller’s (FCCC) priority legislation – HB 977 by Rep. Botana (SB 1130 by Sen. Hutson) – was passed by the legislature with tremendous statewide support.

This proposed legislation will provide more stable revenue sources for court-related services. At the time of passage, the legislation was on its way to Governor Ron DeSantis for consideration to be signed into law.

This legislation is a significant step toward stabilizing the resources Clerks of Courts need to effectively serve our diverse communities and support our judicial and law enforcement partners.

Clerks across the state are grateful to Senator Travis Hutson and Representative Adam Botana for shepherding these bills through the legislative process, and we thank the entire Florida Legisla- ture for recognizing the longstanding challenges and supporting this issue.

Passed unanimously by the full House and the full Senate at the end of April, this bill will diversify Clerk funding through the statutory distribution of certain revenues for court-related services, allowing Clerks to direct more funding towards the services they provide. Under the current distribution of revenues collected, Clerk budgets depend heavily on civil traffic citations, which are unstable and fluctuate from year-to-year.

These priorities are key to establishing long-term budget stability and closing the gap between available funds and current operating budgets for Clerks’ services. Clerks look forward to continuing to work with their partners in the Legislature to support their important services for residents and businesses in Florida.

There are not enough words to express my gratitude to our local Legislative Delegation for their support as my office and Clerk’s across the state continue to bring forward legislative solutions to further address the funding needed to support our offices and protect the critical services we provide.

The Honorable Tiffany Moore Russell, Esq., Orange County Clerk of Courts, has been a member of the OCBA since 2004.

Back Row:

Brandon M. Sapp, Esq.

Kristopher J. Kest, Esq.

Michael Barber, Esq.

Bruce A. Mount, Esq.

Middle Row:

Alisia Adamson Profit, Esq.

Lauren Reynolds, Esq., YLS President

Jessica Travis, Esq.

Lori Caldwell-Carr, Esq.

Karen L. Persis, Esq., Ex-Officio

Kate T. Hollis, Esq.

Jessica McGinnis, Esq.

Stephanie Alcalde, Esq.

Front Row:

Lisa Gong Guerrero, Esq., Treasurer

Amber N. Davis, Esq., President

Arti Ajit Hirani, Esq., President-Elect

Keshara D. Cowans, Esq., Secretary

(Not pictured: C. Andrew Roy, Esq.; Jennifer Smith Thomas, Esq.)

Thursday, July 20, 2023

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Citrus Club

255 South Orange Avenue, Suite 1800 Orlando, FL 32801

Dr. Lorneka Joseph talks Mental Health and Wellness

Please RSVP by Monday, July 17, 2023

RSVPs will not be accepted after July 17, 2023

Please contact Ashley Velez at Ashleyv@ocbanet.org www.orangecountybar.org/store

Title Sponsor:

Supporting Sponsors: Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Withum+ Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance

Professionalism: THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU!

hen I was sworn in as President of the OCBA in 2001, I started my speech by stating, “I am proud to be a lawyer!” I said it 3 times each time louder until I finally heard an “AMEN” from an excited person from the audience. I then thanked my mom for the Amen and began telling stories about my parents, especially my dad. He was from a tiny town in NC among the oldest of 10 kids. He quit school in 10th grade to get a job and help feed his family. He was always taking care of others. He enlisted after Pearl Harbor into the Air Force and was a radio operator in B 17 bombers in WWII. He met Churchill and flew on the wing of Doolittle. He put in his 50 missions and returned home to meet and marry the love of his life, my mom. They raised 4 awesome children! 75 years ago, this year, they opened an appliance store, Morgan Appliances which is still in business run by their son and grandkids. Morgan Appliances 1207 W. Church Street in Orlando! He used to say he had the greatest life of any human! He was rich with blessings!

Why is this important in a discussion about Professionalism? Because when my father turned 80, he was asked what, looking back on the last 80 years, stood out about his life. He said without blinking, “I never finished high school, but I have a daughter who’s a lawyer!” I am still proud to be a lawyer.

I am proud yet extremely humbled by this award. Especially when I look back at the names of tremendous legal giants who received this award before me. I am no legal giant. But I do have some thoughts on the issue of Professionalism. It’s a multi-faceted topic. So often we define that term as one of ethics or civility. And although Professionalism certainly involves those issues, I’d like to pivot a bit away from traditional definitions. You see I’d like to see us broaden our focus to include another aspect of professionalism, mentorship, and inclusion. Reaching back to lift others up.

I was incredibly blessed when I started practicing law. I had law partners who knew the importance of getting plugged in to bar work. They epitomized the importance of giving back. Lawyers like Jerry Billings, Jim Cunningham, and Joe Boatwright. They set me on the path of becoming engaged. Just like God blesses

Wus with unmerited favor, my partners blessed me with unmerited credibility and reputation. As a result, I appreciate the importance of having a mentor/ and being a mentor. It can change the trajectory of your professional life. And it also can determine whether we love or loathe the practice of law.

For those people who know me best, they know I hate to be left out of anything! I have to be in the loop. Don’t leave me loop-less! That’s probably why I have a heart to make sure new lawyers… and sometimes older lawyers…feel included. I don’t want anyone to be left out. Statistics show us women are leaving the profession in alarming numbers. Many for valid reasons, to raise a family, care for elderly parents, etc. But guess what?? WE WANT YOU BACK! THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU! For the baby lawyers who are struggling to look for a job, worried about student loans and have no family or friends who are lawyers…Guess what… THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU! For the sole practitioner who works 12 hours a day to keep the lights on and is feeling more and more isolated…Guess what? THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU!

Professionalism also needs to extend outside the profession. It also demands we take seriously the responsibility to ensure the public has confidence in the profession. To do that, the profession needs to reflect our community. We need to embrace and promote our diversity. The best way to improve professionalism is to be intentional about bringing new lawyers along. I recently attended a luncheon forum for Seminole Florida Association of Women Lawyers in honor of Black History month featuring Iris Elijah, President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar, and Sia Baker-Barnes who served with me on The Florida Bar Board of Governors and who hopefully will become the first female African American Florida Bar President. They made the point we need to not only take a seat at the table but make another seat at the table…and we are going to do that! Because guess what? THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU!

I thank you for this award; for what it represents. And I thank you, my legal community, for making A PLACE FOR ME!

I so appreciate Gary Lesser taking time from his busy schedule to attend the awards ceremony with us. I congratulate the other award winners, Annie Kwong and Judge Skip Dalton. They are both very deserving award winners.

Mary Ann Morgan, Esq., is a managing partner at Morgan Trial Law. Morgan served as President of the OCBA from 2001- 2022 and sat on the Board of Governors for the Florida Bar for nine years.