County Clerk Addresses County Attorney’s Concerns Regarding Important Contract and Preservation of Public Records

KEY WEST – Earlier this month, Monroe County Attorney Bob Shillinger was presented with information that Clerk of the Court Amy Heavilin decided not to renew an important contract with an accounting consultant necessary for preparing the County’s financial statements and was deleting public records.  After raising these concerns with the Clerk, Shillinger said today that the Clerk has taken actions to address these issues.

“I’m pleased that the Clerk has begun the process to hire the consultant and has provided assurances that all public records will be properly preserved,” Shillinger said.

In an email dated Aug. 31, the Clerk wrote John Keillor of Lanigan & Associates that her office would not renew the contract “for budget reasons as well as my loss in the primary election yesterday.”  In the prior years that firm helped staff prepare the County’s financial statements, which are necessary to complete the annual external audit required by law.

“It is critical that these documents are completed thoroughly, accurately, and timely,” Shillinger said.

Shillinger also received reports that the Clerk had deleted dozens of emails and shredded other documents in the days following her defeat in the Aug. 30 primary election.

Shillinger and Heavilin met Sept. 2 to address these concerns.  At the end of the meeting, Shillinger handed the Clerk a letter summarizing his concerns and advising that if the contract with the consultant was not renewed immediately, he would ask the Governor to consider suspending the Clerk.

The Clerk began addressing these concerns immediately, including taking steps to renew the contract with Lanigan & Associates and providing assurances from her IT consultant that all public records had been preserved.

“It does not appear at this time that either of these situations were intentional violations,” Shillinger said.

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