Honorable Ken Burke was recently named as one of Florida's certified elected clerks of the Circuit Court by the Florida Supreme Court. Burke, Clerk, of Pinellas County, achieved certification along with six other Clerks of the Circuit Court who took office in 2005.
In one of the most rigorous programs for elected officials, Florida's Clerks of the Circuit Court are required to undergo a minimum of 240 hours of training during their first two years in office in order to receive certification.
"The insight I gained from the training program enables me to better serve the people of Pinellas County," said Burke, "and that is what holding this office is about: providing the public with excellent customer service."
Established by the Supreme Court, the certification curriculum focuses primarily on the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of the Clerk in eight areas: general orientation/office transition; administration and office management; court services and operations; records maintenance and management; financial administration and management; office technology and resources; state and county government organization, structure and relationships; and personal skills development.
"We are always proud to see a class of newly elected Clerks accomplish this demanding training regimen," stated Ricky Lyons, Lafayette County Clerk of the Court and President of the Florida Association of Court Clerks.
To maintain certification, 36 hours per year are required. Of those continuing hours, at least 22 must be earned in the area of constitutional and statutory duties and responsibilities of the office. The remaining 14 can be earned in management level programs offered by the state or national management training institutes.