September 2019 COLLIER CLERK NEWSLETTER

August 2020

July was a Busy Month for the Clerk’s Recording Division! Over 14,000 Documents Stamped and Recorded Indicative of the

County’s Thriving Real Estate and Building Industries

While the on-going health crisis may have caused real estate sales and building pro-jects to decline in many places throughout the country, based on the large amount of documents stamped and recorded in the County’s Official Record in July, Collier County’s real estate and building industries appear to be thriving. In July 2020, over 14,000 documents were stamped and recorded in the County’s Official Record, including: · 3,080 Notices of Commencement (related to construction projects) · 2,640 Deeds · 2,040 Mortgages

The large number of property related documents is consistent with market reports released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR) - those reports show that the Naples real estate market has enduring appeal, even during the pandemic. “The Naples area is a great place for families and retirees; who wouldn’t want to live in a community that is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest, happiest places in the USA,” said Clerk Crystal Kinzel. “Low interest rates appear to be another fac-tor impacting the housing market, as well as millennials entering the housing market in greater numbers.”

Main Office Gov. Center/Courthouse

3315 Tamiami Trail E. Naples, FL 34112

Satellite Offices

Golden Gate Gov. Center 4715 Golden Gate Parkway

Naples, FL 34116

Immokalee 106 South First Street Immokalee, FL 34142

North Collier Government Ctr.

2335 Orange Blossom Drive Naples, FL 34109

Everglades City Hall 102 Copeland Ave. N.

Everglades City, FL 34139

Eagle Creek 6654 Collier Boulevard

Naples FL 34114

Driver’s License Facility - New 725 Airport Road South

Naples, FL 34104

Crystal K. Kinzel Collier County Clerk of the

Circuit Court & Comptroller (239) 252-2646

Coll ier Clerk Newslet ter Page 2

Like Us - Follow Us

• New Programs & Services

• Important Information

• Upcoming Events

Collier County has begun the process of dispersing more than $67 million in federal CARES Act stimulus money to qualified residents, businesses and agencies financially affected by COVID-19. On July 31, the Clerk’s Finance Team

sent the first checks to applicants. Apply online at www.CollierFLCARES.com. For more information about the CollierCARES program, call (239) 252-8999 or 311 within Collier County.

Applications will be Accepted in the Order Below:

Nonprofits, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Community Health Care & Public Safety July 27 (8 a.m.) - Aug. 10 (noon)

Licensed Childcare Facilities

Aug. 10 (8 a.m.) - Aug. 24 (noon)

Individual/Family Assistance — Rent, Mortgage, Utility & Childcare

Aug. 17 (8 a.m.) - Aug. 31 (noon)

Assistance up to $11,250 per household for qualified individuals/families who have experienced a reduction of income.

Small Business Relaunch and Rehire

Aug. 31 (8 a.m.) - Sept. 14 (noon)

For qualified small businesses that have suffered significant loss of revenue or jobs.

Food Bank/Pantries Applications will be available through the Community Foundation of Collier County (239) 649-5000

Important note...Each application period has a short window of just 15 days.

Apply online - www.CollierFLCARES.com.

Collier Clerk’s Office Seeks Rightful Owners of

Millions in Uncashed Checks Everyone likes to find forgotten money - a $10 bill in the pocket of an old pair of pants; an overlooked $20 tucked inside a pocketbook. But did you know that you might also find money that belongs to you at the Clerk’s Office? Just look for your name on the lists of outstanding checks, and if it’s there, hurry and claim your money.

Clerk Crystal Kinzel wants you to know that lists of outstanding checks held by the Clerk’s Office and the Board of County Commissioners have been compiled and are available for viewing on www.CollierClerk.com. As of June 30, the combined total was over $8.9 million in outstanding checks payable to individuals and business-es for reasons that include jury duty compensation, court fees and vendor payments. Most of the uncashed checks had been returned by the post office because the addressee moved without providing a forwarding address. Look for your name on the lists at www.CollierClerk.com.

Stake your claim! Go to CollierClerk.com and click on the easy button titled Unclaimed Monies.

Coll ier Clerk Newslet ter

One of the Collier Clerk’s Most Popular Neighborhood Satellite Offices

Page 3

Don’t Miss the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday

Friday, August 7—Sunday, August 9

During the three-day period, no sales tax or local option tax will be collected on qualifying purchases.

Whether your child will be returning to school in-person or virtually, don’t miss the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, scheduled to run from Friday, Aug. 7 through Sunday Aug. 9.

During the three-day period, no sales tax or local option tax will be collected on purchases of:

• Clothing, footwear & certain accessories for $60 or less per item;

• Certain school supplies for $15 or less per item;

• Personal computers for $1,000 or less per item.

Store managers are reminded that it is the responsibility of the business to correctly exempt qualifying items during the holiday period. Customers are advised to review sales receipts to verify that the tax exemption was applied on qualifying items.

For more information, or to review the list of qualifying items, visit www.FloridaRevenue.com/BacktoSchool.

Clerk of Court 239-252-2750

• Passport Application Services

• Court & Traffic Citation Payments

• Marriage License Services

• Recording of Notices of Commencement & Declarations of Domicile

Tax Collector 239-252-1125

• Partial Driver License Service (no testing) • Motor Vehicle Registration

• Hunting & Fishing Licenses

• Property Tax Payments

Property Appraiser 239-252-8193

National Senior Citizen Day

August 21 Employees of the Collier Clerk proudly serve senior citizens of our community in many ways, such as:

Reviewing Guardianship cases and conducting audits to screen

for and prevent exploitation and abuse. Guardianship is a legal proceeding where a person is appointed by the court to make decisions related to finances, health, living and social arrange-ments of a ward.

Processing protective injunctions for vulnerable adults, includ-

ing vulnerable senior citizens in our community.

Coll ier Clerk Newslet ter Page 4

Governor DeSantis Extends Moratorium on

Evictions & Foreclosures until September 1’st

Latest moratorium offers relief only for those “adversely affected” by COVID-19

On July 29, 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-180, extending the moratorium on evic-tions and foreclosures until 12:01 a.m., Sept. 1, 2020. This is the third extension of the moratorium initially ordered in April.

However, this latest Executive Order differs from previous orders because it stipulates that the relief only applies when the mortgagor or tenant has been "adversely affected" by the COVID-19 emergency. Per the order, "adversely affected" is defined as:

"Loss of employment, diminished wages or business income or other monetary loss realized during the Florida State of Emergency directly im-pacting the ability…to make payments.”

Governor DeSantis also made clear in the Executive Order that mortgagors and tenants are not relieved from their responsibility to make payments:

“Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed as relieving an individual from his or her obligation to make mortgage payments or rent payments. All payments, including tolled payments, are due when an individual is no longer adversely affected by the COVID-19 emergency.”

Collier residents who have lost jobs, been furloughed or have experi-enced a reduction of income due to the COVID-19 and therefore struggling to pay their mortgage or rent are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from the Collier Cares Relief Funding Program. Applications for this assistance will be accepted beginning 8 a.m., Aug. 17 and ending at noon on Aug. 31, 2020. See page 2 of this newsletter for more information.

August is Child Support Awareness Month

Did you know...In Florida nearly $1.5 billion in child support collections were distributed in 2019? When parents meet their child support obligations, Florida’s children and families are strengthened.

The Collier Clerk’s Office supports both custodial and noncustodial parents by

maintaining records and tracking accountability.

Coll ier Clerk Newslet ter Page 5

Happy Six Month

Anniversary to our

Couples!!

On Valentine’s Day 2020,

six engaged couples were married and

14 married couples renewed their

wedding vows in group ceremonies

performed by Clerk Kinzel.

Clerk Crystal Kinzel performed the wedding and vow renewal ceremonies on Feb. 14, 2020

Congratulations & Best Wishes

County Commissioners & Staff Ribbon Cutting Marks Completion of Phase 1 of the

Paradise Coast Sports Complex Project

On July 2, Collier County officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of Phase 1 of the Paradise Coast Sports Complex project, 3940 City Gate Blvd., N., Naples. Plans for the amateur sports and event complex include sport fields for soccer, football, lacrosse and baseball; training and fit-ness areas; and a championship stadium. The project is expected to be completed in 2021/2022.

Women’s

Equality Day

August 24

On Women’s Equality Day 2020, we commemorate

the 100th anniversary of a woman’s right to vote in the United States.

Exercise your right to vote: August 18 – Primary Election November 3 – Gen Election

Coll ier Clerk Newslet ter Page 6

Don’t Miss an Edition of Our Newsletter! To sign-up to receive our newsletter or to access a

printable version, go to www.CollierClerk.com

For more information about newsletter content,

Mike Sheffield Director, Community Relations and Outreach

Mike.Sheffield@CollierClerk.com (239) 252-6879

Facebook.com/CollierClerk

Did you know...The Collier Clerk

Designed the Flag of County Government

Yes, it’s true! The county clerk designed Collier County Government’s flag - 58 years ago, in 1962; and her name was Margaret Scott.

Why? For practical reasons. In 1962, just prior to the dedication of the new courthouse at the new county seat in East Naples, it was realized that three flagpoles rather than two had been installed in front of the courthouse by the contractor. Before the big dedica-tion ceremony, a county flag was needed to adorn the third flagpole, so Clerk Margaret Scott designed one. Not only did she design the flag, Clerk Margaret Scott also designed the county seal, featuring the Osceola Turkey. Although the turkey had been the county’s emblem since 1923, no suitable design existed in 1962 when commissioners wanted to affix a logo to the county’s fleet of vehicles. So, being a pragmatist, Clerk Margaret Scott de-signed one, and placed it in the center of the flag. In 1981, a dispute arose when a county commissioner pro-posed doing away with the turkey. However, the turkey prevailed and both the seal and flag remain the official symbols of Collier County Government to this day.

Collier County Clerk Margaret Scott

In 1959, Mrs. Margaret Scott was

appointed county clerk by the gov-

ernor to fill the vacancy caused by

the death of the sitting clerk - her

husband - Clerk Ed Scott. She was

formally elected in 1960, and held

the position for 17 years until her

retirement in 1976.

Fort Myers News Press - Aug. 24, 1962 Collier Clerk Margaret Scott & County Commissioner Henry Watkins hold the new county flag designed by Mrs. Scott.

The flag of county government, designed by Clerk Margaret Scott in 1962, still flies at

the Gov Complex today - 58 years later.