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Volunteer Training Session for Manatee County Teen Court/Teen Court Too
Thursday, September 02, 2010 — Attention Students! Free Volunteer Training Session for Manatee County Teen Court/Teen Court Too on Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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Herald-Tribune about online access to court records
Please read the 8/30/10 article in the Herald-Tribune about online access to court records
R. B. "Chips" Shore Receives Highest Award for Port Financial Reporting
Thursday, August 26, 2010 — (Chicago) – For the seventeenth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, R.B. “Chips” Shore with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Manatee County Port Authority’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government agency and its management.Thursday, August 26, 2010—Start Entering text here
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R.B. "Chips" Shore Receives Highest Award for Financial Reporting
Tuesday, August 24, 2010—For the 31st consecutive year, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, R.B. "Chips" Shore, has been presented with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for the County’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. This Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by government and its management.
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A Letter from R.B. "Chips" Shore
Tuesday, August 17, 2010—Florida is likely facing another multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall in the next fiscal year. State and local budgets have been cut to the quick and everyone is struggling to do more with less. Over the last several years, Florida’s Court Clerks have been working to create efficiencies that will ultimately save time and money within the state’s court system. Part of that has been a movement away from paper-based systems.

Last week, after my office was sued by the Attorney General and the Public Defender, the Second District Court of Appeals (DCA) ruled that my office must provide paper copies of original transcripts for indigent criminal appeals –reversing permissions given to our office by the Supreme Court. Preparing paper copies is both time consuming and expensive, for instance if everyone in Manatee County’s judiciary family were to use electronic formats instead of paper, an audit estimated our court-related costs could be reduced by nearly $1 million per year. I don’t see this happening until either the legislature or courts mandates it.
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Volunteers Needed to Judge History Fair
Friday, August 13, 2010—Love history? Volunteer to judge the Manatee County History Fair! Judges are needed for the 27th Annual Manatee County History Fair sponsored locally by the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Historical Resources Department and the Manatee County Historical Commission. No experience is necessary as volunteers will be trained.
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Exhibit Celebrates 100 years of Scouting in Manatee County
Wednesday, August 11, 2010—Palmetto Historical Park and Manatee County Agricultural Museum will host the exhibit “A Shining Light Across Manatee.” Opening on Friday, August 20th and running through October 2nd, this exhibit celebrates 100 years of Scouting in Manatee County as well as the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Featured in the exhibit will be the history of SW Florida Council’s Cub and Boy Scouts, Silver Beaver display, Eagle Scouts, history of Sunny Land Council, Camp Flying Eagle, Order of the Arrow, Scouts on Stamps, Scouting religious awards, and Troop 10, the oldest operating troop in Manatee County.
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Clerk Loses 2nd DCA Appeals Court Ruling for Being A Conscientious Steward of Public Funds
Thursday, July 29, 2010—As state and local budgets continue to shrink, public agencies across Florida strive to find more efficient ways to serve the public. In many cases, technology offers solutions that lower costs and minimize the complexity of previously manual processes. In March 2010, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court, R.B. “Chips” Shore used technology to achieve both of those outcomes and has now been sued by the State of Florida’s Attorney General’s Office and the Public Defender of the Tenth Judicial Circuit.
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Message for our Customers
Effective June 1, 2009, the Legislature has imposed increases for filing fees and service charges to go to the state to fund various court functions. While the Clerks are required by law to collect these additional fees, they do not benefit your local Clerk’s office.

In addition, severe cuts recently made to Clerks’ budgets by the Florida Legislature have required significant reductions in personnel. As a result, you may experience longer processing and wait time for services from the office. Thank you for your patience and understanding.