3/16/25 @ 9:00 a.m.

The Florida Government Finance Officers Association is a professional association founded in 1937 and serves more than 3,300 professionals from state, county and city governments, school districts, colleges and universities, special districts and private firms. The FGFOA established Government Finance Professionals Week to recognize government finance professionals and the vital services that they provide to our state, local and federal government, as well as to our communities. 

​The County’s professionals serving in the Office of Management & Budget and the Clerk of Courts Finance Division work hard everyday to ensure that financial policies are being followed and that the processes in place are sufficient. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) recognized both at the Monday, March 10, 2025 meeting and approved a Proclamation declaring the week of March 17 - March 21, 2025, as Government Finance Officers Week in Nassau County, Florida. 

The BOCC hereby expresses their appreciation and commends the finance professionals from the Office of Management & Budget and the Clerk of Courts Finance Division for all their hard work and dedication. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Communications Officer
​

Yesterday, John A. Crawford, Nassau County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller served his last day as Nassau County Clerk of Courts. Effective today, Nassau County's new Clerk of Courts is Mitch Keiter who was elected to serve in November 2024.

We wish Mr. Crawford many years of health and happiness as he enters the next phase of his life. He will be greatly missed! We are also looking forward to working with Mitch Keiter and continuing the great working relationship between the Clerk and the Board of County Commissioners.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Communications Officer

12/27/24 @ 12:25 p.m. 

At the Wednesday, December 18, 2024 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) recognized Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller John Crawford and Property Appraiser Mike Hickox on their upcoming retirements, commending both on their outstanding service and dedication to Nassau County and its residents. 

Mike Hickox was elected by the citizens of Nassau County in 2013 and brought with him 35 years of experience as a State Certified Appraiser and Real Estate Broker to the position of Property Appraiser. As a lifelong resident of Nassau County, Mike has dedicated his public career to providing fair and equitable assessments to the citizens of Nassau County. In addition to determining the value of all property within the County, Mike is also responsible for maintaining property ownership records, parcel ownership maps, and for administering property tax exemptions. Throughout his career, Mike has held a variety of roles such as Past President of the Florida Association of Property Appraiser's, Past Director of the Nassau County Education Foundation, Past Director for the Nassau County Economic Development Board, and Real Estate and Appraisal Instructor for the local Association of Realtors.

​John Crawford has served Nassau County in different capacities throughout his career, first as a County Commissioner from 1990-1998, and then again when he was elected as Nassau County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller in 2005. While serving in this role, John has been responsible for a wide range of record keeping, information management, and financial management for the judicial system and County government including aiding in the judicial process, maintaining the County's official records, and serving as the Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners. As the Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, he also acts as accountant and custodian of County funds. 

Terms for Property Appraiser Mike Hickox and Clerk John Crawford end in January 2025. Both have delivered their duties in a conscientious and responsible manner, serving with dedication and distinction. The BOCC commends them both and wishes them the best in their well-deserved retirements. 

New Clerk and Property Appraiser to Be Sworn in Next Month
Kevin Lily will be sworn in as the newly elected Property Appraiser on Monday, January 6, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse (411 Centre Street, Fernandina Beach).

Mitch Keiter will be sworn in as the newly elected Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. at the Robert M. Foster Justice Center (76347 Veterans Way, Yulee). 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

3/28/24 @ 3:15 p.m. - At the Monday, March 25, 2024 meeting, Ron Whitesides, Auditor for Purvis Gray Company, presented the audit for FY 22/23 which ended on Septmeber 30, 2023. A team of ten individuals from this outside firm spent approximately 1,800 hours studying the Board's controls and processes to ensure they are appropriate and functioning properly. 

Mr. Whitesides stated, "The audit went very well. We spent 1800 hours here and came up with two things that could be done to improve your processes. One relates to a cuttoff process for year-end payables accounting. The other relates to an year-end performance on land grants." 

Mr. Whitesides stated that during the audit, the firm is looking at operating results. "The County continues to be in good financial position at absolutely every level", he said. "I can only comment on what the financial statements show in terms of revenues, costs and fund balance levels. What financial statements don't address is the infrastructure condition and the cost of growth. Nassau County is a rapidly growing county, and there is a cost with that. The County is in good financial position but that can be a challenge when keeping up with pace (of growth)."

Clerk of Courts and Chief Financial Officer John Crawford stated, "Congratulations on a good audit and on being in great financial shape. I want to thank you (the Board), each of the Constitutional Officers, and Mr. Whitesides. We work in harmony in this county for the protection of taxpayers. The audit shows them (the taxpayers) that they can have a high level of assurance that things are right financially and that there is transparency in County government. I commend you for that."

To view the auditor presentation, please click here. The presentation is listed under Tab D. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer 

8/16/23 @ 10:00 a.m. - Are you a Nassau County Veteran who is interested in helping other local Veterans and their families? The Nassau County Clerk of Courts is currently seeking a second Veterans Service Officer. Please see below information from the Clerk of Courts website: 

"The Nassau County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s office has a unique opportunity for a local Veteran. Our county is growing, and we are adding a second Veteran’s Service Officer to our staff.

The VSO will assist veterans and their families in various ways, including providing direction, information and counseling regarding federal and state government benefits and assistance.

To be considered for this position, please note the following REQUIREMENTS. First, the candidate must be a veteran who served as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who was separated from such service under honorable conditions. Secondly, the candidate must be certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs as meeting the requirements and qualifications prescribed by the department and must attend the State Veterans Officer Course and be certified as a CVSO by the Florida Division of Veterans Affairs within six months of hire.

Interested candidates who are qualified, should fax a copy of their DD-214 to our HR department, at 904-548-4849. Resumes may be also be faxed, or emailed to [email protected] by August 29, 2023.
The anticipated start date for this position is October 2, 2023. More information can be found on our website: https://jobs.nassauclerk.com/. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to our HR department."

The Nassau County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s office is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is ADA compliant.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

 4/12/23 @ 12:15 p.m. - The National Association of Counties (NACo) has proclaimed April as National County Government Month. Each day this month, we will provide different facts about Nassau County, including information about its history, services provided and more.

Clerk of Courts
The Florida Constitution established a Clerk and Comptroller as an elected public trustee in 1838. The functions and duties of the Clerk and Comptrollers vary from state to state, however the main role of a Clerk and Comptroller is to perform a wide range of record keeping, information management, and financial management for the judicial system and County government. The Clerk also serves as the Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, auditor, recorder, and custodian of County funds.

Our current Clerk and Comptroller is John A. Crawford. A lifelong resident of Northeast Florida, Mr. Crawford is a proud Army National Guard Veteran. Before serving as Clerk, Mr. Crawford owned and operated Crawford Financial Group in Nassau County. As a public servant, Mr. Crawford has made it his mission to improve the lives of citizens in Nassau County by offering the highest quality customer service and effective cost control. He was originally elected as Clerk in 2005 and has been re-elected to this position every four years since then. 

Mr. Crawford has no shortage in responsibilities. As Clerk of the Circuit and County Court, Mr. Crawford has a variety of duties including, but not limited to, processing civil and criminal cases, overseeing jury management, conducting foreclosure sales, assisting in completing paperwork needed for small claims and protective injunctions, processing child support payments, and maintaining custody of evidence and exhibits entered by the court. 

As the Recorder of Deeds, Mr. Crawford maintains a public records library, collects and disburses intangible taxes, records and indexes deeds and mortgages, processes tax deed applications and sales, and collects and disburses documentary stamp monies. 

As the Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners, Mr. Crawford maintains custody of all County resolutions, ordinances and contracts. His office is also responsible for maintaining and distributing official meeting minutes. 

As the Accountant of Public Funds, Mr. Crawford provides accounting services to all the departments under the Board of County Commissioners, provides financial reporting to Federal and State agencies, processes county payroll, and provides an accounting system for the Board. 

As County Auditor, Mr. Crawford conducts a pre-audit on all expenditures, reviews proposed contracts before adoption, and conducts internal post-audits to determine if financial controls are sufficient. 

​Other common duties of the Clerk & Comptroller include issuing marriage licenses, issuing of home solicitation permits, and oversight of the County's Records Center.... just to name a few! 

We appreciate everything that Mr. Crawford does not only for the Board of County Commissioners but for the citizens of Nassau County. To learn more about the Clerk's Office, visit www.nassauclerk.com. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/25/22 @ 10:00 a.m. - Is your driver's license currently suspended because of unpaid court fines? If so, please note that that the Nassau County Clerk of Court has implemented the Commonsense Payment Plan to help customers comply with court obligations and keep your license. 

Contact the Clerk's Office today at (904) 548-4500 or toll free at 1-800-958-3496.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/3/22 @ 3:30 p.m. - The Nassau County Clerk of Courts has issued a statement about scammers targeting residents regarding jury duty. See below. 

From John Crawford's Office:
Clerk’s offices in neighboring counties have reported scammers targeting citizens regarding jury duty. The caller states that you have missed jury duty and that you must pay a fine using gift cards.
Our office will NEVER ask for--or accept--payments in the form of a gift card!
​
If you receive a request like this, please do not fall for it--this is a SCAM!

If you have any questions, please call the Clerk's Office at (904) 548-4600.

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