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Crystal K. Kinzel Collier County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller 3315 Tamiami Trail East, Suite 102 Naples, Florida 34112-5324 www.CollierClerk.com

Letter to the Community...

Dear Citizens,

Happy New Year! There are so many reasons to be optimistic in the new year. There’s evidence that several essential areas of our local economy are thriving, especially our real estate, building, and finance industries. The Clerk’s office broke records in December (and during 2020 as a whole) for the number of documents recorded in the County’s Official Records. Those documents recorded included deeds, mortgages, lien satisfactions, notices of commencement, and declarations of domicile. Our totals have been astonishing…over 75,000 pages recorded during December and over 600,000 at year-end. So, stay positive and be thankful that we live in the best community in the USA!

January 9-15 is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week. This year it is particularly important that we express our gratitude and support for our law enforcement officers who keep us safe and perform their duties even with the added stress of COVID-19. Thank you and may God Bless all those who wear the badge, most especially those serving locally with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, City of Naples Police, City of Marco Island Police, and those with state and federal agencies.

I firmly believe that a well-informed and engaged citizenry is essential in order to have an honest and accountable government, so I remain committed to regularly communicating with citizens and taxpayers through newsletters, press releases and informative presentations. If you would like to schedule a presentation for your club or association (presented either in-person or virtually), I urge you to call my office at (239) 252-6879.

I am thankful for the trust that you have placed in me and I’m incredibly honored to serve. While much has been achieved in the short time that I have been your Clerk, there is so much more being planned, and my deputy clerks and I look forward to “Moving Forward” in a bright new year.

Sincerely,

Collier Clerk Newsletter

January 2021

Office Locations

Main Office Courthouse

3315 Tamiami Trail E. Naples, FL 34112

Satellite Offices

Airport Motor Vehicle 725 Airport Road South

Naples, FL 34104

Eagle Creek 6654 Collier Boulevard

Naples FL 34114

Everglades City Hall 102 Copeland Ave. N.

Everglades City, FL 34139

Golden Gate Gov. Center 4715 Golden Gate Parkway

Naples, FL 34116

Immokalee 106 South First Street Immokalee, FL 34142

North Collier Gov. Ctr.

2335 Orange Blossom Drive Naples, FL 34109

Customer Service 239-252-2646

www.CollierClerk.com

www.Facebook.com/CollierClerk

January Holiday Office Closure The Office of the Collier Clerk of Court,

including satellite locations,

will be closed on January 18th in observance

of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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Changes to County Court Appeals Went into Effect on January 1, 2021

Pursuant to Chapter 2020-

61 - Laws of Florida, beginning January 1,

2021, parties appealing county court decisions in criminal cases and most

civil cases will have their appeal heard in the district courts of appeal rather

than c ircuit court . However, Circuit Courts

will retain appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative and non-

criminal cases.

In the State of Florida there

are five District Courts of Appeal; Collier County is in

the Second Appellate Dis tr ic t which has headquarters in Lakeland

and a location in Tampa. Sixteen judges serve on the Florida Second District

Court of Appeal; Judge Nelly Khouzam serves as

the Chief Judge.

An appellate review in Florida’s District Courts of

Appeal is usually by a three-judge panel, but on

occasion by the entire

court. Generally, the district appellate court

represents the final appellate review of litigated cases. The bulk of trial

court decisions that are appealed are never heard by the Florida Supreme

Court.

To learn more or to view a list of case types with appeals staying in Circuit

visit www.flcourts.org/Know-Your-Court/

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How the Process Works

It is the role of county staff under the Board of County Commissioners to approve or deny each application. Approved applications are forwarded to the Clerk’s Finance team for pre-audit and subsequent payment. CARES Act money cannot be disbursed by the Clerk’s Finance team until the application has been processed, approved and transmitted to the Clerk’s Office by county staff.

Amounts Disbursed to Date

In addition to processing normal County vendor payments, the Clerk’s Finance team has disbursed $6,101,786 to over 900 CollierCARES applicants. On average, CollierCARES payments were made only 14 days after receiving the application from County staff.

Have you Subscribed to the Clerk’s Risk Alert Notification Program?

The FBI advises property owners to be on the alert for scammers filing fraudulent property documents, such as deeds, to make it appear as if they own property that is not actually theirs. These scammers then deceive people into giving them money to buy or rent the property or deceive financial institutions into giving them loan money. Subscribers to our free Risk Alert Notification Program will receive an email alert if a deed, lien or other record matching the subscriber’s exact name is recorded in the county’s Official Record. If fraud did occur, the subscriber can quickly take the next steps with law enforcement agencies.

Subscribe for free at www.CollierClerk.com.

Clerk’s Finance Team Dispersed Over $6 Million in CollierCares Money to Qualified County Residents and Businesses

The COVID-19 relief program CollierCARES was established with the purpose of allocating federal CARES Act stimulus money to qualified applicants who have experienced significant financial loss as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. CARES Act money was made available on October 19, 2020.

The Collier County Clerk’s office has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. The award was bestowed upon the office in recognition of the clear financial reporting and “spirit of transparency and full disclosure” demonstrated in the 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) which was produced by the Clerk’s Finance and Accounting Department. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment.

“We take our stewardship of public funds very seriously, and we are honored to receive this prestigious award once again,” said Clerk Kinzel. “Our goal with the CAFR is to provide transparent and thorough financial reporting to our citizens, and our finance team works hard to achieve that goal.”

The CAFR encompasses the entire financial operations of county government, and it serves as a valuable tool for assessing the county’s fiscal health and for long-term financial planning. The 2019 CAFR is available for viewing on the Clerk’s website at www.CollierClerk.com.

Clerk’s Office Awarded Certificate of Achievement

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January 9-15 is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week The employees of the Clerk wish to thank our police officers,

especially those serving locally with the:

Financial Impact of Park Facilities

On December 8, 2020 the Collier County Board of County Commissioners approved the next contract phase of the Sports Complex and Events Center. The executive summary prepared by staff noted the cost of the facility at $104.5 million. However, that amount did not include the cost of land, soft costs (engineering, impact fees, etc.) and the fieldhouse option. Actual estimates including land, soft costs and the fieldhouse option may exceed $162 million. The following chart notes how costs have increased since the initial estimate in March 2017.

Collier County’s extensive community and regional park system is required by the Growth Management Plan. The established Level Of Service Standard (LOSS) requires 1.2 acres of park land, including passive parks, per 1,000 population for Community Parks (unit cost of $119,947 per acre) and 2.7 acres of park land per 1,000 population for Regional Parks (unit cost of $504,450 per acre). As the County’s population increases, the LOSS triggers the need to acquire additional park land/facilities to maintain the established ratio of park land per 1,000 population. Impact fees on new construction provide a major source of revenue to acquire the new park land/facilities and the voter approved one-cent sales tax also provides a new revenue source for those capital projects that were proposed to the voters in the ballot referendum.

Continued on page 5

Collier County Sheriff’s Office

Florida Highway Patrol

City of Naples Police

City of Marco Island Police

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The most recent Annual Update and Inventory Report (AUIR) was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on November 10, 2020. Community parks reflect a 5-year surplus of 43.76 acres or $5.2 million and regional parks reflect a 5-year surplus of 187.42 acres or $94.5 million, attributable to the 194.23 acre land acquisition for the Sports Complex.

Impact fees and infrastructure sales tax proceeds are earmarked for capital construction; statutory limitations prevent those proceeds from supporting the operating costs of these growth-required facilities. Operating costs are funded by General Fund or Unincorporated Area General Fund budgets, which are funded

partially by ad valorem taxes. The Fiscal Year 2021 adopted budget included recurring operating costs for two new facilities - $3.5 million for the Sports Complex and Events Center and $3.3 million for the Big Corkscrew Regional Park, as delineated below:

A major existing facility is the North County Regional Park that opened in Fiscal Year 2006, with initial capital assets amounting to approximately $66 million. In addition to a water park, the regional park includes more than 100 acres of restored wetlands and lakes, a fitness center and gymnasium, eight lighted soccer fields, five lighted softball fields, walking and fitness trails, a boardwalk, a playground, picnic pavilions, an exhibit hall and administration offices. The Board of County Commissioners approved a major reinvestment of $20 million in capital infrastructure at this site in September 2020. The capital reinvestment was funded as part of a revenue bond debt issuance.

As noted above, other current major construction projects include the Big Corkscrew Regional Park and the Sports Complex and Events Center. During the infrastructure sales tax campaign, the estimated cost of the Big Corkscrew Regional Park was $60 million, offset by $20 million in existing funding. The remaining $40 million shortfall was to be funded by the infrastructure sales tax. Current revised estimates of park construction costs range from $78.3 million to $83.3 million. Final costs are still in flux as the bids for Phase II of this facility have not yet been solicited.

Once completed, the County will have two new state of the art park facilities. Over the next ten-twenty years, all parks may require a reinvestment in capital maintenance to facilities, in addition to the annually recurring operating costs.

Financial Impact of Park Facilities cont’d. from page 4

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Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park courtesy: CollierCountyFL.gov

North Collier Regional Park courtesy: CollierCountyFL.gov

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• Pay traffic citations, court fees and fines

• Submit documents for recording in the Official Record • File court documents via the Florida Courts e-Filing Portal

• Access frequently used forms • Subscribe to the Risk Alert Notification service to monitor your property records for fraudulent activity • Check for your name on the unclaimed money lists • Access thousands of records to view and print, including:

Court records (Civil, Traffic, Probate and Criminal);

Official land records,

Financial records & records of the Board of County Commissioners

Access Secure Online Services 24/7 www.CollierClerk.com