ORLANDO, Fla. (January 11, 2012) – Citing her record of being recognized statewide for efficiency and effectiveness, Lydia Gardner announced she will seek re-election to the Orange County Clerk of Courts. Gardner has led tremendous change in the Clerk’s office since being elected in 2000, achieving a 97% customer satisfaction rate with zero tax dollar support and achieving the prestigious 2008 Governor’s Sterling Award, which is based on the National Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.
“Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Clerk of Courts’ office has been my full-time public service mission since 2001,” said Lydia Gardner, Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts of Orange County. “We’ve set high standards and accomplished much, but there is still much more to do. The future energizes me because I plan to continue serving the public with the high level of service and accountability they have come to expect even during these challenging economic times.”
Gardner has developed a strategic plan for streamlining processes, customer service, and she has overseen revolutionary technology changes including managing over 240 million website hits per year, and worked within the statutory requirements to operate the Clerk’s office with zero tax dollar support. In 2009, the legislature mandated an immediate budget reduction of 17%. Gardner pushed for greater savings and efficiencies throughout all departments. One initiative was to increase online payments for the 300,000 annual traffic citations by driving payments to myorangeclerk.com.
“I’m an advocate for customer service” said Gardner. Even when the legislature cut our budget by almost $7 million in 2012, we were prepared and able to minimize the impact. It is my goal to keep pressing forward and achieve even more during the next four years to ensure Orange County citizens have access to timely, accurate records and professional services as we continue to meet the challenging economic times.”
Gardner has used her office to advocate for the mentally ill, receiving the Central Florida Mental Health Association's Golden Bell Award. She played a key role in establishing the Domestic Violence Commission in Orange County, served on the Jail Oversight Committee, the Juvenile Justice Commission, as well as the Board of Directors for the Central Receiving Center.
She has been appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to a number of special committees including one to study privacy and court records. This year, Gardner was named chairman of a statewide authority that will create a portal for Electronic Case Filing. In Florida, ECF allows attorneys and pro-se litigants to electronically initiate cases and subsequent pleadings 24/7. In 2010, the Speaker of the House appointed her to the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation.
Gardner has been a board member of the Orlando Science Center and is a past chairman of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of University of Michigan, holds certificates in the management program at the Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College, and the executive leadership program at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She has taken graduate level courses at a number of universities. Previously she was teacher, a member and chairman of the School Board of Orange County, a real estate broker, and an executive with a Fortune 100 telecommunications company.
To learn more about Gardner, go to www.lydiagardnerforclerk.com .
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