Manatee Clerk recognized statewide for protecting residents' records, funds, and legal rights

When you request that a court record be sealed, wait for unclaimed funds owed to you, or trust the Clerk's office to invest public dollars responsibly, you're counting on that office to follow the rules correctly. For the sixth consecutive year, the Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller is doing exactly that — earning Recognition of Excellence in all 10 categories of the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers' (FCCC) Best Practices Excellence Program.

The recognition, presented during a ceremony at FCCC's summer conference, covers areas that directly affect residents: protecting exempt personal information from public exposure, sealing and expunging criminal records, returning unclaimed funds to their rightful owners, and following sound investment and procurement policies with public money. It also covers areas that keep the court system fair and efficient for everyone who uses it, including how fee waivers, case transfers, and vexatious litigants are handled.

Manatee was one of just 38 offices statewide — out of 58 participating Clerks and Comptrollers — to achieve full Recognition of Excellence across every category evaluated this year.

“This recognition isn't just a certificate — it's confirmation that my office is doing right by the residents who trust us with their records, their funds, and their cases,” said Angel Colonneso, Esq., Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller for Manatee County.

The Best Practices Excellence Program, established in 2020 and built on more than 20 years of collaboration among Florida's Clerks and Comptrollers, evaluates offices through assessments tied to standards set annually by the FCCC Best Practices Committee, chaired by Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Ken Burke, CPA. This year, 58 offices participated, together completing 511 assessments.

The 10 categories evaluated this year were:

• DOR Parenting Plan Fee Waivers
• Ensuring the Adoption of Relevant Financial Policies
• Investment Policy
• Procurement Policy
• Reopen Fees for Civil Cases
• Requests to Redact Exempt Personal Information
• Sealing and Expunging Criminal Court Records
• Transfer of Civil Cases
• Unclaimed Funds
• Vexatious Litigants

Image: Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Angel Colonneso, Esq. (center) accepts a Recognition of Excellence certificate for full participation in FCCC's 2025-2026 Best Practices Excellence Program, presented during a ceremony at the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers' summer conference in Orlando, FL. Pictured with Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Ken Burke, CPA (left) and 2025-2026 FCCC President and Hernando County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Doug Chorvat, Jr., CGCIO, CPM (right).

Published date: July 15, 2026