March 2023

Greetings,

Not only did we gain an hour of sunshine this week, but we are also celebrating Sunshine Week. This is an effort to promote access to public information and transparency in government. My office is devoted to maintaining dependability, clarity, and openness in government. One of my top goals is to make the records and services provided by my office as easy to access as possible. We are constantly working to expand the services that are available online while also improving our existing online services. We have many projects underway to accomplish this goal, and I look forward to launching these to the public in the coming months.

I hope you all are having a great spring and wish you a happy Easter next month!

Sincerely,

Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller

Updates

Appellate Case Information Service Now Live

Florida Supreme Court and First District Court of Appeal dockets were made available online on Monday, March 6, through Florida Appellate Case Information System (ACIS) linked from each court’s respective website.

In the News

Polk County Clerk of Court Butterfield seeks help from Legislature on statewide funding

In all, the office has nearly 1,000 responsibilities specified in state law, said Stacy Butterfield, Polk County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller.

While local residents might take those services for granted, Butterfield says her office, like those in Florida’s 66 other counties, is facing a financial squeeze that hinders its ability to perform effectively.

Full Article

Upcoming Events

Saturday Passport Applications

Busy work and school schedules can make weekday passport applications difficult. Our office is hosting a Saturday passport application event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 25 at our Lakeland and Winter Haven locations. Instant passport photos are also available on-site.

Learn more

Things to Know

Polk Records Online User Tip

If a user's account is showing Disabled, they have entered an incorrect password multiple times. By clicking on My Account in PRO, users can now reset their own password as needed.

Upcoming Office Closures

Holiday	Office Closure Date
Good Friday	Friday, April 7
Memorial Day	Monday, May 29

View Full Calendar

In celebration of Woman’s History Month, I'd like to introduce you to our leadership team. Pictured from left to right:

Clerk & Comptroller Stacy Butterfield, CPA. I have worked in the Clerk's office for 37 years and was elected Clerk in 2012. Prior to joining this office, I worked for a private accounting firm where I audited government clients. I am a Certified Public Accountant and earned my bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida Southern College.

Dee Dee Beaver, CPA, director of our Comptroller division. Dee Dee is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Government Finance Officer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Florida Southern College. She began her professional career in a local, public accounting firm performing governmental and not-for-profit audits. Dee Dee has worked for the Clerk’s office for 32 years and served as the budget director for the Polk County Board of County Commissioners for two years.

Kim Stenger, CPM, director of our Courts division. Kim started with our office as a student and has now been here for 30 years. She has worked in various roles and departments in the Civil and Criminal department. Kim earned her bachelor's degree in Business Administration: Supervision and Management from Polk State College. She holds the designation of Certified Public Manager by the State of Florida.

Michelle Yodonis, SHRM-CP, CPM, director of our Administrative Services division. Michelle has served the office for 26 years. She too has extensive experience with our operations and previously worked in our Criminal, Civil, and Business Analysts departments. She also supervised our Lakeland and Winter Haven branches, which provide court and official record services. Michelle has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Webber International University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Barry University. She has recently earned her Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional designation and she also holds the designation of Certified Public Manager.

Updating Your Contact Information

Update your information using the form on our Legal Community web page.

Register for e-Notify

Setting up email and text notifications through e-Notify can help you and your clients stay up-to-date about court dates.

Find My Courtroom

Heading to court? Skip the line at the information desk and find your courtroom location online using Find My Courtroom.