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| Coronavirus COVID-19 Update
My office has been preparing and doing all we can to keep our staff and the public safe. We are closely monitoring developments and working with our judicial and government partners on a coordinated response.
In an ongoing effort to safeguard the health of the community, the Ninth Judicial Circuit is limiting access to the Orange County Courthouse starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020 through at least the end of business March 27, 2020. We will also be limiting access to all Clerk's Office locations, including our branches, starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020, until at least the end of business March 27, 2020. Only certain exceptions will have access. Please read our online coronavirus update for more details and the latest information. As we have all seen, things keep changing very rapidly with the coronavirus COVID-19 situation. Please continue to check myorangeclerk.com or our social media pages for the latest updates from my office.
As a reminder, you can do business with us anytime and anywhere from a computer, smart phone, or tablet for many of our services, such as:
Make Payments
Payments for traffic tickets or criminal fines can be made right from our website. You can also find information about payment plans and other payment options.
Court Records
Public court records can be viewed right from the my e-clerk section of our website. Certified copies of court records, and marriage licenses can also be ordered here.
eMarriage
You can begin your marriage license application from the comfort of your home. The application can be filled out here. You have 60 days to complete the process in person at one of our offices.
Packets & Forms
Packets and forms for Civil and Family matters can be ordered and paid for right from our website’s shopping cart. Our customers, the community, and employees are always our priority.
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| Sunshine Week: It's Your Right to Know
The public's right to know is one of the most important obligations of elected officials, and why I am proud to recognize the annual observance of Sunshine Week this month from March 15th to March 21st. Florida's annual Sunshine Week emphasizes the importance of public records and open government. As a public servant, I have the utmost respect for our state's public information laws which I am dedicated to upholding.
The Clerk's Office works with the public and media outlets daily to respond swiftly and responsibly to public information requests. In our role of maintaining court records, we have millions of files filled with information on criminal trials, civil suits, traffic violations, and matters affecting families, such as adoptions, custody disputes and domestic violence, to name just a few of our case types. You can search for records online 24/7 on our my eClerk site.
Please visit our Clerk in the Sunshine page at myorangeclerk.com, where you will find budget and other financial updates, timeliness statistics, customer service ratings, and audit results. Sunshine Week is great reminder that we work for you and you have the right to expect transparency from our office.
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| Extra Access Hours on Select Saturdays
In order to provide more convenient hours for you, my office will open two of our branches on select Saturdays once each quarter. The Winter Park and Ocoee branches will be open for services such as marriage licenses and ceremonies, passports and payments on the following Saturdays:
Saturday, May 2, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 1, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 7, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
After seeing how successful our Passport Saturdays have been in years past, I wanted to expand the idea to allow customers the option of accessing our services on select Saturdays. We know it can be a challenge to get time away from work or take your children out of school, so this is another option to make doing business with my office easier.
The Winter Park and Ocoee branches will be the only locations open for the extra Saturday hours.
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| A Valentine's Day to Remember
Love was in the air everywhere at our offices on Valentine’s Day as a total of 94 couples “tied the knot” on that day. I performed an exciting group wedding ceremony where nearly 20 couples said “I do” in the elegantly decorated courthouse jury room while friends, family, and staff witnessed the special occasion.
Besides the ceremony, couples were given photos, a certificate, and a red rose as part of the Valentine’s Day package.
It took a lot of deputy clerk volunteers, facilities staff, and assistance from Court Administration to pull off the details of the ceremony. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to make the day special for all those newly married couples.
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| Circle of Excellence Leadership Award
Congratulations to Lisa Donnelly, our Circle of Excellence Leadership Award winner for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Lisa is our Civil Division Operations Manager. Team members say Lisa has worked extremely hard to bring the Civil division together as a team.
"She values and recognizes the individual talents of each employee," said a team member. "Lisa goes out of her way to listen to new ideas; notably her open-door policy has allowed the team to be able to step into her office and talk to her about any question, concern, or idea. She is friendly and personable; as an example, Lisa walks around the whole division floor to say good morning to everyone. Her quality leadership allows her team to bring quality service to customers."
The Circle of Excellence Leadership Award honors management team members based on demonstrating outstanding leadership aligned with our Guiding Principles.
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March Star Performer
Congratulations to Stephanie Woods, our Star Performer for the month of March. Stephanie is an Operations Support Coordinator in the Family division. Teammates say she provides exceptional service on a daily basis in the back office as well as at the front counter.
"Stephanie is respectful to coworkers and customers. Her knowledge and experience in the division is remarkable," said a colleague. "She shows her work ethic through her years of service, experience, and her quality customer service."
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| Left: Clerk Russell was honored to speak at the OCBA luncheon, co-hosted by the Paul C. Perkins Bar Association, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Orlando. Center: Clerk Russell was invited as the keynote speaker for the “Seventh Annual History Guardian Care Makers Heritage Celebration & Appreciation” event at the Carter Tabernacle CME Church for her trailblazing leadership in our community. Right: Clerk Russell was honored to serve as a panelist during the "Black Women's Triumphant Path to Voting" discussion at the League of Women Voters of Orange County luncheon.
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Upcoming Events
- Sunday, March 15th to Saturday, March 21st: The annual observance of Sunshine Week (See Article)
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| Tell Us How We're Doing
If you have recently conducted business with the Clerk’s Office, I’d like to hear from you. Customer service is at the core of what we do for the citizens of Orange County.
Please take a moment to let us know what we did well as well as where we still have opportunities to improve.
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Tiffany Moore Russell
Orange County Clerk of Courts
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