Annual Report of the Sarasota County Clerk and Comptroller

T o The C iTizens of s arasoTa C ounTy Clerk of the Circuit and County Court | Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners | County Comptroller, Auditor and Recorder 2000 Main Street | P.O. Box 3079 | Sarasota, FL 34230-3079 | Phone: 941-861-7400 | SarasotaClerk.com KAREN E. RUSHING CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT AND COUNTY COMPTROLLER FCCC FLORIDA COURT CLERKS AND COMPTROLLERS 2011 Special Recognition Award 2010 Excellence in Leadership Award 2009-2018, Chair, Legislative Committee 2008-2009 Chair, Strategic Planning Committee 2007-2008 President 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2013 Clerk of the Year CCOC FLORIDA CLERKS OF COURT OPERATIONS CORPORATION 2014 Legislative Committee 2014 Florida Courts E-Filing Committee 2011 Co-Chair, Revenue Stabilization Workgroup REPUBLICAN PARTY OF SARASOTA, FLORIDA 2007 Statesman of the Year UNITED WAY OF SARASOTA COUNTY Member, Board of Directors 29TH ANNUAL WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2013 Women of Light Award UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA 2002 Distinguished Alumni Award FLORIDA SUPREME COURT – FLORIDA COURTS TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION (FCTC) 2010-present, Florida Courts Technology Commission 2003-present, Committee for Electronic Filing UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 2002-2007 Advisor, Commercial Law Department ACHIEVEMENTS GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION 2012-present, Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting 1984-present, Excellence in Financial Reporting Award ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC TREASURERS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 2014 Certificate of Excellence for Sarasota County’s Investment Policy UNITED WAY SUNCOAST 2017 Top 25 Most Generous Workplaces, Sarasota Area FLORIDA GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATORS ASSOCIATION 2009-Crystal Award, Online Foreclosures 2008 Second Place Crystal, Annual Report 2007-2009 Special Judges Awards ASSOCIATION OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONALS 2009 Gold Winner, MarCom Award, Annual Report 2009 Honorable Mention, MarCom Award, Photography I am pleased to present the Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s Annual Report, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2018. The Clerk and Comptroller, by authority of the Constitution of the State of Florida and Florida law, serves as the county’s Chief Financial Officer, Auditor, Treasurer, Clerk of both the County and Circuit Courts, County Recorder and Inspector General. Although there is a broad and varied scope of responsibilities pursuant to law, there are common threads among all the responsibilities: Financial competency, preservation of records (both public and confidential), and providing reasonable assurance regarding the safeguarding of assets against loss from unauthorized use or disposition. At the end of the 2018 fiscal year (Oct. 1-Sept. 30) our Courts department reported a slight increase in court case filings, with our Recorder’s Office seeing a 5% increase in land and property-related documents filed into the Official Record of Sarasota County. As a part of our commitment to transparency, reports are issued to provide financial information to citizens, explaining where their tax dollars are spent. Publications such as the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and the Impact Report, focused on major revenues and debt, plus the Clerk and Comptroller Annual Report provide insight into the services and products offered by this office. For additional information and access to the reports, please visit www. SarasotaClerk.com. Our employees are selected on experience, skills, education, and their commitment to serving the Sarasota community. This year’s employee training focused on developing a culture of taking responsibility, and embracing their service to the community. Florida’s Clerks serve their communities with pride and dedication, and provide important services that affect public safety, commerce, and access to justice. Concerning to Clerks and Comptrollers is that the current budget process is outdated, unstable, and fails to correspond with needs and costs. Clerks and Comptrollers are seeking to partner with Florida’s lawmakers to find a long-term, legislative solution that modernizes the budget process, provides adequate funding, and ensures Clerks and Comptrollers can best serve Florida’s residents and visitors. It is a privilege to be your Clerk and Comptroller, and a public trustee of Sarasota County. Karen E. Rushing