Hours Restored at Clerk's Office

The Pinellas County Clerk’s office resumes normal operating hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Sept. 4, according to Ken Burke, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.

Because of budget cuts, Clerks throughout the state were cut office hours. In Pinellas, the public hours were reduced by two hours a day.

“Those two hours were necessary to have all employees focused on the document preparation, calendaring and filing required to properly process a case,” Burke said.  “With a reduced staff level, we had no choice but to shorten our public hours and use those operating hours to keep current.”

The Florida Legislature’s Legislative Budget Commission (LBC) voted to restore Clerks’ budgets to prior year’s funding, enabling Clerks’ offices to begin to return to normal hours and restore services.

“Thanks to the support of Governor Rick Scott and the LBC, we will be able to continue to provide the excellence in customer service Pinellas County citizens have come to expect of us,” Burke said.

Burke also thanked his fellow Clerks and their employees for making the necessary adjustments in such difficult budget times.

“Tough budget challenges are still on our horizon, but this will certainly aid in Florida Clerks efficiently fulfilling our duties for the coming year,” Burke said. “As public servants, it is most important for us to be able to provide the utmost service to the courts, the citizens and the businesses of our communities.”