Statistical Facts 2004

Criminal Cases Filed (Felony)	445
Criminal Cases Filed(Misdemeanor)	1200
Juvenile Cases Filed	238
Traffic Citations Filed	6426
Domestic Violence Petitions	120
Circuit Civil Cases Filed	501
Probate Cases Filed	144
County and Small Claims Cases filed	432
Jurors Summonsed	3277
Child Support Case Transactions
Documents Recorded	13,453
Tax Deed Filings	103
Number of checks processed	10,868
Marriage License Issued	231
Earnings on Investments	$120,344.76

 

 

 

Statistical Facts 2002

Criminal Cases Filed (Felony)	514
Criminal Cases Filed(Misdemeanor)	1145
Juvenile Cases Filed	249
Traffic Citations Filed	5337
Domestic Violence Petitions	131
Circuit Civil Cases Filed	540
Probate Cases Filed	138
County and Small Claims Cases filed	407
Jurors Summonsed	3320
Child Support Payments Collected	$1,393,652.95
Child Support Case Transactions	9806
Documents Recorded	9698
Collections-new felony fine program	$88,423.58
Number of checks processed	12,482
Marriage License Issued	230
Earnings on Investments	$178,841.23

 
 

Mr. Thurmond's history

In 1968 Mr. Thurmond moved to the County his mother and her family had lived in for generations. He graduated from Wakulla High School in 1978 and from FSU in 1983 with a BS in accounting. He passed his CPA exam in November 1983 and worked in public accounting for 15 years prior to becoming Clerk.

Brent Xavier Thurmond, Clerk of Courts for Wakulla County Florida is a duly elected Constitutional Officer as mandated by Article V, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Florida. The electorate of Wakulla County elects the Clerk to a four-year term. Thurmond was elected to the Office of the Clerk in October 1996 and was returned to office in 2000.

History of the Office of Clerk of Court

The office of the Clerk of Court was established in 1821 by the territorial governor, none other than Andrew Jackson. Within two days of the Jackson accepting possession of Florida, the governor appointed a clerk of court and assigned duties to him, not the least of which was to aggressively obtain the land records from the Spanish officials who had those records.

The Clerk and Governor had such resistance to obtaining the land records that they had the former Spanish governor arrested and every since then, the clerks job has been challenging!

In those early days, as new counties were created and clerks appointed, many times the court had to use the clerk's house to hold court until the county could build a courthouse! The funding mechanism for the early territorial Florida Clerks was the fee system, where users of the courts pay filing fees, copy fees, etc. to fund the office. This system is still the major office funding source today.

In the first state constitution, the office of the clerk of court was established and the duties defined, and this has been combined with other statutory functions set out in Florida Statutes.

Functions of the Clerk's Office

The office of the Clerk of Court has been called the public trustee, because of the important role played in the system of checks and balances in county government.

The three main functions of the office are county finance function, county recorder, and clerk of the circuit and county courts.

In the County Finance function the clerk's office:
Provides accounting services to all departments under the Board of County Commissioners
Is custodian of all county funds
Handles investments of available county funds
Provides financial reporting to the Board and all federal and state agencies
Processes accounts payable
Processes the County payroll
Pre-audits all County expenditures before payment
Serves the Board of County Commissioners as their chief financial officer and financial advisor on any matter
Collects and administers the county tourism tax assessment

In the Clerk of the Circuit and County Court function the clerk's office:
Attends each session of court
Files indictments, information and verdicts
Processes all civil and criminal cases
Prepares appellate records
Oversees jury management including summonsing potential jurors and issuing juror pay
Receives and disburses moneys for fines, court costs, forfeitures, fees, service charges, alimony and child support, victim restitution and certain moneys to be held in trusts
Conducts mortgage foreclosure sales
Files, secures, and disposes of all evidence entered by the court
Assists victims of abuse in filing paperwork necessary to file Domestic and Repeat Violence actions
Assists parties in filing paperwork necessary to file for a Simplified Divorce
Assists parties in filing paperwork required to file a Small Claims action

In the County Recorder and Clerk to the County Commission function the clerk's office:
Records and indexes deeds, mortgages, and other official records on property and persons in the county
Processes tax deed applications and conduct sales
Records public defender liens and judgments entered by the court, record tax liens and claims against an estate, instruments of conveyance, agreements, contracts, maps and plats of subdivisions and surveys
Keeps records according to a state retention schedule for Board of County Commissioners, finance, and courts
Attends meetings of the Board of County Commissioners
Produce, record, index and distribute the official minutes of these meetings
Maintain legal custody of the Official County Seal
Maintain custody of all County resolutions, ordinances, and contracts
Process appeals for Value Adjustment Board

Other miscellaneous functions the clerk's office has include:
Issuing marriage licenses and performing wedding ceremonies
Administering the USDA food commodities program with volunteer help
Issuing passport applications