About the Clerk
Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA
Stacy Butterfield was elected Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller in August 2012 and is now serving her third term as Clerk. She is the first female elected to serve as Clerk in Polk County.
Clerk Butterfield is a Certified Public Accountant and experienced public servant with nearly 35 years in the Polk County Clerk’s office. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida Southern College.
Clerk Butterfield grew up in Polk County and is actively involved in her home community. She currently serves as the chair of the Polk Vision Board of Directors and is a member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet.
She is passionate about the importance of Clerks’ roles and service in Florida government. She is the immediate past President of the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers and serves on the Board of Directors. She serves on the executive council of the Clerks of Court Operations Corporation. She currently serves on the FCCC Pro Se Educational Campaign Workgroup, Nominating Committee, Budget & Finance Committee, Legislative Committee, New Clerk Academy Subcommittee, Strategic Planning Committee, Clerk Partners Committee, Strategic Technology Committee, and is a board member of CiviTek National, Inc. Adding to this, she was recently appointed by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady to serve on two Supreme Court workgroups – the Workgroup on Access to Justice and the Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19.She is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Florida Government Finance Officer’s Association (FGFOA).
Mission
Our Mission is to function as a team dedicated to our customers by preparing and maintaining accurate records, furnishing assistance in an understanding and compassionate manner, and providing services with competence, professionalism, and courtesy in compliance with laws, rules, an regulations.
Overview
The Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller is your public trustee, responsible for safeguarding public records and public funds. Whether you get married, buy a house, receive a traffic ticket, or simply enjoy the benefits of a county that is financially stable, you have been impacted by the services of this highly diverse and complex office. The Florida Constitution established the Clerk & Comptroller as a public trustee, independently elected to protect public funds and public records while performing the following major functions.
County Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer And Auditor
The Clerk & Comptroller is the official "watchdog" of all county funds, providing the necessary checks and balances on the county's budget, revenue and spending. The Clerk also invests and earns revenue on county funds to reduce the tax burden on the residents of Polk County.
County Recorder
The Clerk & Comptroller maintains and ensures the integrity of the Official Record Books of Polk County dating back to the mid 1800's. Documents such as mortgages, deeds, liens, judgments and marriage licenses are recorded and entered into a computer system that is available to the public online and at all office locations.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
The Clerk & Comptroller supports the county’s criminal, civil, and juvenile courts by processing, recording, and filing documents such as lawsuits, traffic tickets, divorce agreements, wills, domestic violence petitions, and tenant evictions. The Clerk is responsible for safeguarding and protecting the integrity of all court records.
Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
The Clerk & Comptroller provides services to the Board such as preparing and maintaining the records of Polk County Commission meetings and other government meetings and making them available to the public. The Clerk also administers the Value Adjustment Board process.
Other Services
The Clerk is also responsible for managing the county's jury system, processing passports, processing marriage licenses, and conducting foreclosures sales and tax deed sales.
Historical Information
The Florida Constitution of 1838 created the Clerk of the Circuit Court as a Public Trustee. On February 8, 1861, the Legislature of the State of Florida established Polk County. The 1973 Florida Constitution created a unified Clerk of the Circuit Court after abolition of the Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record. Polk County has had Three Clerks of the Circuit Court since 1973:
- January 2013 to Present, Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA
- August 1997 to January 2013, Richard M. Weiss
- January 1973 to August 1997, ED. "Bud" Dixon
The State Legislature created the Criminal Court of Record in 1923. The following served as Clerk of the Criminal Court of Record for Polk County:
- January 1969 to January 1973, ED. "Bud" Dixon
- April 1968 to January 1969, Warren O. Williams
- January 1953 to February 1968, Robert Jacob Haslett
- January 1933 to January 1953, Benjamin Lucian Durrance
- October 1925 to January 1933, Loyd Clyde Olive
- August 1923 to October 1925, Richard Webb Robnett
The following served as Clerks of the Circuit Court of Polk County as created by the Florida Constitution of 1838:
- 1965 to January 1973, Paul H. Vaughn
- January 1937 to 1965, Daniel Henry Sloan, Jr.
- January 1921 to January 1937, John Derieux Raulerson
- January 1912 to January 1921, James Allison Johnson
- 1899 to January 1912, Aaron Browning Ferguson
- 1885 to December 1898, William Hampton Johnson
- 1881 to January 1885, Stephen Irving Pearce
- 1877 to 1881, William Baker Varn
- March 1873 to 1877, Nathan Snow Blount
- January 1869 to March 1873, John Davidson
- January 1866 to January 1869, William Baker Varn
- January 1863 to January 1866, Jeremiah Madison Hayman
- November 1861 to January 1863, Jehu Jacob Blount