Register today: Lee Clerk’s Financial Wellness Summit takes place July 11

Thursday, July 11

8-11 a.m.

Florida SouthWestern State College

8099 College Pkwy, Building U, Fort Myers 

This Thursday, your Lee Clerk will host a first-of-its-kind Financial Wellness Summit in Lee County. The community is invited to come to the free event and get expert tips to help improve their overall financial wellness while learning how their tax dollars are managed, spent and invested.

At the Financial Wellness Summit, participants will have the opportunity to attend different, back-to-back sessions and hear from a variety of experts who will present engaging financial information. The summit will also include an expo where attendees can visit different vendor booths featuring key financial information.

The session topics for the summit are:



• Smarter spending: 5 tips for mastering your budget
• How to save with property exemptions
• A local & national economic market update

Clerk Karnes will also speak about Lee County investments and the state of county finances. Aside from serving as the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Clerk Karnes is also the Comptroller for Lee County, which means he is the county auditor, county recorder, and custodian of all county funds. Through the Comptroller function of his role, Clerk Karnes is responsible for managing and investing nearly $2 billion of Lee County’s tax dollars annually.

Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited and registration is required.

*Per Florida law, the Clerk’s office is prohibited from providing legal and/or financial advice. The information provided in this seminar is for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any specific legal or financial issue you may have. If you require any legal or financial advice, you should contact a legal or financial professional.

Wednesday, July 31

2-3 p.m.

Northwest Regional Library

519 Chiquita Blvd. N, Cape Coral 

The public is invited to join Clerk Karnes and Lee County’s Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell and Tax Collector Noelle Branning for a comprehensive presentation on the property assessment, collection and dispute process.

During the presentation, all three officials will thoroughly explain their portion of the process to attendees. The Property Appraiser will discuss how property value is assessed; the Tax Collector will review the tax collection process for the property; and the Lee Clerk will explain how to contest the property assessments, as well as help safeguard the property with our free Property Fraud Alert service.

Immediately following the presentations, there will be a question and answer session so attendees can ask the presenters any questions they may have about the property assessment, collection and dispute process. The class is free, but registration is required.

*Legal advice will not be provided at the presentation. The Clerk cannot address any specific case or VAB-related decision or outcome. For legal inquiries, property owners may speak with an attorney.

Wednesday, July 17

2-3 p.m.

Via Zoom

The Lee Clerk’s July How-To class will feature an online session on how someone can seal and expunge their criminal record.

During the free class, attendees will learn the following:



• Eligibility & required forms
• Steps in the application process
• Steps in the filing process
• Related fees & hearing information
• Post sealing/expungement information
• Available contacts & resources

Registration is required.

The Lee Clerk’s office was recognized with 10 awards of excellence by the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers association for its commitment to demonstrating high professional standards.

The FCCC’s Best Practices Excellence Program evaluated and recognized Clerks and Comptrollers across the state in the following areas: appeals, civil contraband forfeiture, court record retention and destruction, Department of Revenue parenting plan fee waivers, determination of indigency, marriage licenses, public records requests, risk protection orders, service of documents by Clerks for pro se litigants, and vexatious litigants.

The Lee Clerk’s office has received awards in all Best Practices Excellence Program categories since the awards were established in 2020.

In addition to receiving certificates of excellence, the FCCC also appointed Clerk Karnes to its 2024-2025 Board of Directors.