Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers celebrate New Clerk Academy Graduates
Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers (FCCC) announced the completion of its New Clerk Academy by all class of 2020 participants.
All clerks of court first elected in November 2020 have officially completed their New Clerk Academy training.
“All newly elected clerks of court and comptrollers go through extensive trainings and certification programs to understand the complexities of our role and the issues we face,” said Manatee County Clerk and 2021-2022 FCCC President Angelina “Angel” Colonneso. “As FCCC president, I am beyond proud to acknowledge and celebrate my colleagues who recently finished the New Clerk Academy training. This is a wonderful accomplishment, and I look forward to watching these clerks grow into their roles bolstered by the New Clerk Academy curriculum.”
“It’s my pleasure to serve as the chair of New Clerk Academy and help my colleagues better understand their roles as new constitutional officers,” said Citrus County Clerk Angela Vick. “Clerks of court and comptrollers have more than 1,000 statutory duties through which we provide our critical public services to residents. Collectively, we are deeply committed to learning and serving our communities, and New Clerk Academy is an essential part of ensuring the newly elected clerks and comptrollers are as prepared and educated as much as possible to succeed in their positions and serve their constituents.”
The FCCC New Clerk Academy is an extensive certification program for newly elected circuit court clerks and county comptrollers. The 2020 NCA was a blended structure of learning featuring instruction through in-person and virtual sessions totaling 240 hours. Each training included participation by representatives of partnering agencies, and courses were taught by clerks, various clerk professional team members, subject matter experts, and industry professionals.
Clerks who completed the academy were honored during a ceremony in Orlando and are listed below.
- Denny Thompson (Bradford County)
- Rachel Sadoff (Brevard County)
- James M. Swisher, Jr. (Columbia County)
- Barbara Higginbotham (Dixie County)
- Jody Phillips (Duval County)
- Michele Maxwell (Franklin County)
- Tami Pearce Simmons (Glades County)
- Kimberly R. Barrineau (Hendry County)
- Jerome Kaszubowski, (Highlands County)
- Cindy Stuart (Hillsborough County)
- Sam Bailey (Holmes County)
- Daniel Stanley (Liberty County)
- Gregory Harrell, Esq. (Marion County)
- Jerald D. Bryant, Esq. (Okeechobee County)
- Kelvin Soto, Esq. (Osceola County)
- Joseph Abruzzo (Palm Beach County)
- Matt Reynolds (Putnam County)
- Brandon J. Patty (St. Johns County)
- Michelle R. Miller (St. Lucie County)
- Gary Knowles, Jr. (Taylor County)
- Greg James (Wakulla County)
A video from the ceremony is available here: New Clerk Academy Graduation Video.
