About the Clerk
Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA
Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA, serves as the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller for Polk County. She is honorably serving her fourth term and is the first female elected to serve as Clerk in Polk County.
As an independently elected official, Clerk Butterfield safeguards public funds and records while performing three main roles:
Clerk of the Circuit Court, County Recorder, and County Comptroller. The office provides more than 1,000 services to the Polk County community.
Clerk Butterfield is a Certified Public Accountant and experienced public servant with more than three decades in the Polk County Clerk’s office. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida Southern College.
She grew up in Polk County and is actively involved in her home community. She currently serves on the Polk Vision Board of Directors as well as the Superintendent Heid Financial Review Committee for Polk County Public Schools.
She is passionate about the importance of Clerks’ roles and services in Florida and works to ensure Polk County has appropriate representation at the state level. She is a past President of the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers (FCCC) and serves on seven FCCC committees, including:
- Legislative Committee
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Budget & Finance Committee
- Comptroller & Clerk to the Board Committee
- Education Committee
- Conference Subcommittee
- Kestrel Board of Directors
She also serves on the executive council of the Clerks of Court Operation Corporation Executive Council and is the chair of the budget committee.
She recently served on three Florida Supreme Court groups, which include the Access to Justice Workgroup, Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee, 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, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Florida Government Finance Officer’s Association (FGFOA).
Mission
To safeguard the public's records, funds, and trust while providing exceptional services.
Vision
To be a leading organization with excellence in service.
Guiding Principles
Commitment, Accountability, Relationships, Excellence
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 foreclosure 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