Happy 4th of July! While it is our tradition to celebrate this day with fun community activities, parades, barbecues, and beautiful fireworks displays, we should not forget the sacrifices that were made for our freedom. As Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
I want to express my sincere appreciation for your support of our Office. With no qualified opposition during the last local elections, I am honored to continue as your Collier County Clerk of the Courts and Comptroller for the next four years. THANK YOU! I hope this is an indication that we have proven our dedication to serving you. Improving services, streamlining processes and making sure that our systems are sustainable and current are just a few of our goals. We are continually exploring new ways to better serve you. This extended opportunity to perform our duties will enable us to continue to improve on everything we do. I am eagerly anticipating the continued service to our wonderful community as we keep MOVING FORWARD!
I encourage you to make sure that you are registered to vote in the primary election on August 20th, when several local races will be decided. The deadline to register to vote or change your party affiliation is July 22nd. Learn more at CollierVotes.gov.
Thank you to the Board of County Commissioners for reviewing our FY 2025 budget request. In the June newsletter, we shared an article about our office’s budget for court and non-court operations for the next fiscal year. I presented our budget to the Board at their June 25th budget workshop. I provided a brief overview of our recent achievements, budget requests, and allocations for the following year. After our budget presentation there were no objections or questions. The final Budget hearings will be in September, where we hope our request is approved.
Another positive item I’d like to share is that for FY2024 we are seeing record-setting returns of $49M through our investment program. This amount already exceeds the entire amount collected over the twelve (12) months of fiscal year 2023, which was the previous record-setting year for interest revenue. With four (4) months remaining in the current fiscal year in which to add to the $49M, the bar will likely be set very high for the future. These numbers show the efficacy of investment techniques and processes utilized by our office.
As we celebrate our Nation’s independence this month, I want to highlight one of our constitutional rights: every citizen’s right to a jury trial. Many countries do not have jury trials. It is one of the things that make us unique as a country. Jury trials provide an opportunity for citizens to participate in the judicial process. I highly encourage everyone who receives their invitation (also known a legal summons to participate) to be part of the process when summoned, it is our right and responsibility as citizens to protect our Judicial process.
