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Anthony Rondolino

In-person jury trials to resume in Pasco

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A modest schedule of trials is on the calendars at the courthouses in east and west Pasco beginning on Nov. 2, according to a news release from the Office of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller.

To optimize the safety of those coming to the Pasco Judicial Center or Robert Sumner Judicial Center, the center will be:

  • Limiting the number of jurors called to allow for social distancing in each Jury Assembly Room
  • Spacing out the days of the week on which jurors are summoned
  • Requiring face coverings
  • Installing Plexiglas barriers
  • Locating hand-sanitizing stations throughout each courthouse
  • Frequently disinfecting common-area surfaces

Details may be found at PascoClerk.com/260/Jury-Services.

The resumption of in-person trials is occurring under the direction of state Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady for Florida courts to pursue a safe return to more traditional operations. Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Anthony Rondolino recently instructed courts in Pasco and Pinellas Counties to begin preparations for Phase 2 functions, clearing the path toward restarting trials with in-person jurors, the release says.

Published October 28, 2020

New Pasco clerk seeks technology upgrades, more

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New Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles isn’t wasting much time in trying to implement some new initiatives within the clerk’s office.

She was formally appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, following the retirement of her predecessor, Paula O’ Neil.

The new clerk outlined a number of her ideas during an Aug. 27 East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting in Dade City.

Newly appointed Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles was the featured guest speaker at a recent East Pasco Networking Group Meeting in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

One of her primary aims, she said, is to boost the office’s technology capabilities, which will improve efficiency and cut costs in an agency that staffs over 300.

The technology improvements include the development of a case management system, which would provide electronic court files to the county’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, she said.

Alvarez-Sowles pointed out that Pasco County is the only one out of 67 counties in the state that still requires paper files.

That system costs her office time and money, she said.

“We have this huge, expensive budget related to paper…so what we’re trying to do is leverage our technologies,” she said.

Related to that, Alvarez-Sowles said her office is developing an automated docket program to streamline simple actions, such as indexing case numbers “to take the workload off of the team, so they can focus on the more complex and complicated functions.”

Alvarez-Sowles said she’s also looking into the feasibility of organizing attorney consultations within the clerk’s legal resource center at both county courthouses in Dade City and New Port Richey — to help unrepresented individuals or those unable to afford an attorney in civil matters related to divorce, residential landlord/tenant, small claims and so on.

The program would model larger counties, such as Orange, Palm Beach and Pinellas, Alvarez-Sowles said, whereas the clerk’s office partners with local general practice attorneys to offer 15 minutes or so of legal guidance, at a rate of about a $1 per minute. The program could take at least a year to implement, she said.

Alvarez-Sowles said the affordable consultations “wouldn’t create an attorney-client relationship, but it just gives (unrepresented individuals) the ability to maneuver through and know that they can do it on their own.”

She underscored the need for such a service in the county: “So many times, people come to our front counter and we cannot give them legal advice. We know that they need to file a motion, but we can’t say, ‘You need to file a motion,’ because we’ll get in trouble for the unauthorized practice of law…”.

More generally, Alvarez-Sowles in her new role said she wants to build upon the office’s values of compassion and helpfulness toward others.

“When someone comes to our office, we don’t judge them,” the clerk said.

“People coming into our world in the clerk’s office, for the majority, they’re on like the worst time of their life. They’re coming in, they’re scared, they’re stressed out, they’re hurt, they’re angry, they’re not in a good place.

“We can pull up their case information and see what’s going on in their life very quickly  and easily, but at any time, any one of us could be on the other side of that counter… so whatever it is, we’re here to help them find a better day, we’re there to help them get to that better day.”

Alvarez-Sowles is the county’s eighth clerk and comptroller.

She was named an interim successor by Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Anthony Rondolino, upon O’ Neil’s retirement on July 1. She received DeSantis’ appointment on Aug. 9.

Alvarez-Sowles is filling out the balance of term for the post vacated by O’ Neil.

The new clerk said at the breakfast meeting she plans to run for election in 2020. “I will be putting my name in. I do intend to run,” she said.

Prior to her appointment, Alvarez-Sowles was serving as the clerk’s office chief operations officer (COO) under O’ Neil since 2010, a position she said is still unfilled.

The transition to the more senior role has been seamless for her, she said, however, it comes with added responsibility.

“There has been no hiccups, nothing that has tripped me up,” Alvarez-Sowles said. “The difference is before, I would do the research and make a recommendation. And now, I make the decision, so the pressure is a little more weight on the shoulders.”

The new clerk also gave kudos to her predecessor.

She said of O’ Neil: “I had one of the best mentors anyone could ever have asked for, her community outreach and her caring for our Pasco County.”

Born in Tampa, Alvarez-Sowles played soccer at the University of South Florida then earned her law degree at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

From 2000 to 2005, she practiced real estate law with the Tampa firm of Echevarria, Codilis & Stawiarski P.I., and spent a year as real estate development manager for the nonprofit Housing & Education Alliance Inc., before joining the Palm Beach Clerk & Comptroller’s Office as director of branch court services.

Alvarez-Sowles said she stopped practicing law because “it didn’t fill my cup up of what was my purpose.”

Her purpose instead, she said, lies in the public service arena because “that’s how I feel I can give back to our community.”

Published September 04, 2019

Nikki Alvarez-Sowles named county clerk & comptroller

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Gov. Ron DeSantis has named Nikki Alvarez-Sowles to serve as the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller.

She will serve in that role through January 2021, filling out the balance of term for the post vacated by Paula S. O’ Neil, who retired on July 1.

Nikki Alvarez-Sowles

Alvarez-Sowles is the county’s eighth clerk & comptroller. She was named an interim successor by Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Anthony Rondolino, upon O’ Neil’s retirement. She received DeSantis’ appointment on Aug. 9.

“I am humbled and honored to have Governor DeSantis’ and Chief Judge Rondolino’s appointments,” said Alvarez-Sowles, in a news release from her office.

Alvarez-Sowles has served as the chief operations officer since 2010, guiding the adoption of numerous taxpayer-friendly initiatives, boosting efficiency, enhancing transparency and reducing costs, the release says.

Florida Sen. Wilton Simpson, whose district includes most of Pasco County, speaks highly of Alvarez-Sowles, in the release.

“Nikki’s commitment to serving the hardworking people of Pasco County shines brightest through her steady leadership and unwavering work ethic,” Simpson said. “On behalf of the people of Pasco County, I want to thank Gov. DeSantis for ensuring an honorable public servant takes the reigns here in Pasco.”

Born in Tampa, Alvarez-Sowles played soccer at the University of South Florida (where she was a member of the Scholar-Athlete 3.0 Club and a student government senator) before earning her law degree at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

From 2000 to 2005, she practiced real estate law with the Tampa firm of Echevarria, Codilis & Stawiarski P.I., and spent a year as real estate development manager for the nonprofit Housing & Education Alliance Inc., before joining the Palm Beach Clerk & Comptroller’s Office as director of branch court services.

A chance meeting with O’ Neil and several members of her executive team during a statewide conference luncheon led to further discussion and, ultimately, Alvarez-Sowles joined the Pasco Clerk & Comptroller’s Office.

Examples of her involvement include:

  • Immediate past president, Leadership Pasco
  • West Pasco Bar Association, member and past president
  • Rotary Club of New Port Richey

She also has been a member of various committees and workgroups devoted to performance excellence in government work, such as:

  • Florida Clerks & Comptrollers’ Best Practices Workgroup
  • Supreme Court workgroups
  • Florida Bar Small Claims Rules Committee
  • Pasco-Hernando State College Technical Advisory Committee for Paralegal Studies
  • Pasco County Schools Success Plan Committee
  • Advisor to board of directors for Housing and Education Alliance Inc.

This year, Alvarez-Sowles served as a Florida Governor’s Sterling Examiner and joined Florida Center for Public Management, Certified Public Manager Program, based at Florida State University, as an adjunct instructor.

She is married to Kevin Sowles, and they have two children: daughter Lexi and son Soren. The family lives in Land O’ Lakes.

Published August 14, 2019

Paula S. O’ Neil retires after decades of public service

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The Pasco County Commission recently honored Paula S. O’ Neil, who retired after three decades of public service.

O’ Neil’s final day as Pasco Circuit Court Clerk & Comptroller was June 30.

She had recommended that Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, her chief operations officer, be appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to complete the remainder of her term, which ends in 2020.

The Pasco County Commission paused recently to honor Pasco Circuit Court Clerk & Comptroller Paula S. O’ Neil, who retired on June 30, after more than three decades of public service. (Courtesy of Tom Jackson/Pasco Circuit Court Clerk & Comptroller’s office)

DeSantis had not made his decision as of last week, so Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Anthony Rondolino appointed Alvarez-Sowles to fill the post on an interim basis, pending the governor’s final decision.

O’ Neil was honored during the County Commission’s June 19 meeting, where Alvarez-Sowles read the resolution, lauding the clerk’s many contributions through the years.

The resolution provided background on O’ Neil’s life, as well as citing professional achievements and civic contributions, through the decades.

O’ Neil grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and played collegiate softball and graduated from Missouri State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree.

She began her professional life working for Charleston Air Force Base, and also began teaching, which she still does today. She also worked for Charleston County Parks and Recreation Department, before her family moved to Pasco County in 1987, where she joined the staff of the county’s parks and recreation department.

Her duties there included implementing a voter-approved bond referendum for parks and recreation — expanding the county’s parks system from 22 parks to 36 parks.

She later worked in the county’s community services department, as administrative services manager, where she oversaw numerous grants and special funding resources that provided services to citizens, through social services, veterans services, animal control and sexual abuse victims services. She also played a critical role in the automation of the Pasco County public transportation system, improving dispatch, scheduling and office administration, according to the resolution.

At the same time, she was continuing her education to earn a Master of Science degree and then joined Pasco-Hernando Community College as an adjunct professor.

In the fall of 2002, O’ Neil joined the Circuit Court Clerk’s office, where she swiftly rose to chief deputy clerk.

Meanwhile, she continued to add to her educational credentials, obtaining a doctorate degree.

She was elected to her first term as Clerk of the Circuit Court & County Comptroller in 2008, and re-elected to subsequent terms in 2012 and 2016.

She led the office in the implementation of numerous technological advancements, modernizing the office to improve efficiency and customer service.

She has served on numerous boards and worked with various committees, agencies and organizations. She continues to teach, is an author and a cancer survivor.

“Paula has been a tireless leader in community, civic and not-for-profit organizations, serving to make Pasco County a better place to live and raise families,” the resolution adds.

A large contingent of O’ Neil’s staff was at the meeting, demonstrating their support.

The clerk thanked the board and her staff for their help through the years.

“I have an amazing team. The executive team is amazing. They’re a dream team,” O’ Neil said.

She offered a glimpse of what Pasco County was like when her family arrived.

“We lived in Wesley Chapel. I had to drive to Land O’ Lakes or Zephyrhills to get groceries.

“What a change it is today,” she said.

She also recounted attending Florida Retirement Seminars and thinking to herself: “I’m not going to be here that long.”

It turned out, though, “there was never anything better than Pasco,” O’ Neil said. “I appreciate all of the opportunities that I’ve been given here. It’s just been an honor to serve.”

Pasco commissioners lavished praise on O’ Neil.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey told O’ Neil that the myriad accomplishments cited in the resolution “doesn’t begin to describe the value you have to this community, to this citizenry and this county.

“You know you will be missed, and you will always be a legend, here in this county,” Starkey said.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley added: “We’re all proud of you.”

Commissioner Mike Wells said he was honored to be able to share the moment with O’ Neil.

“Well, I’ve known you since literally, I was a kid. I really wish my father (Mike Wells Sr., former property appraiser and former commissioner) would be here, too.

“Who would have thought that I’d be sitting up here, with you? I don’t want to get choked up.

“You truly are a great leader,” Wells said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano recalled being on the campaign trail with O’ Neil, in 2008.

He told O’ Neil: “The presentation you put on, made you a completely impressive candidate.”

And then, O’ Neil went on to implement her vision, Mariano added, “Thank you so much. You’ve been a great asset.”

Commissioner Mike Moore also applauded O’ Neil’s accomplishments.

“You do so much good. You’re an inspiration for so many people,” he said.

Published July 03, 2019