Recording liens just became quicker, easier

Remember those paperless offices we were supposed to have in the future? Another step has been taken in that direction.

"It's going to be a big step," said Bob Germaine, Highlands County Clerk of Courts.

Two programs are rolling out at once: ePortal and eFiling.

Eportal is the clerks' statewide electronic Web site.An example of how it works: annually, the Florida Department of Revenue sends 80,000 property tax liens through the mail to the appropriate Clerks' Office. With ePortal, DOR will electronically transmit the information, and the clerks will record and process all the liens for their county through one access point.

Currently, the process takes paper, envelopes, postage and manpower to print and fold the notices, stuff the envelopes and prepare them for mailing. Once received and recorded by the clerk's office, an invoice is sent to DOR, and a check is mailed back to the clerk by the Department of Financial Services.

"The implementation of eRecording Department of Revenue liens in this office has been an absolute success," said Bob Inzer, Leon County clerk of the court. "Although just implemented, we are anticipating substantial cost savings, an increase in our clerks' productivity, as well as a much faster payment for the processed liens."

"Not only does the process speed up the delivery and execution of recording a lien but in resolving the liens as well," said Jim Evers, director of General Tax Administration for the Florida Department of Revenue.

EFiling is what will be available to private businesses like attorneys and title companies.

"We go live on Jan. 1," Germaine said. With a Simplefile account, he said, deeds, mortgages or the like can be filed anywhere in the country, he said.

Simplefile is a Provo, Utah company which set up the system though vetted account holders. Presently, individuals can't use the system, but they may have future access ePortal.

What about fraud?

"There may be more fraud," Germaine admitted. But, he pointed out, all the clerk's office really does is to file documents, some of which are submitted through the mail.

"They could do the same thing now," Germaine said.

The new systems will force permanent changes, he said. One is that less space will be needed. For decades, clerks of court have been filling huge rooms with marriage licenses, wills, mortgages, foreclosures and other legal documents.

"We won't have to keep building buildings to store all this stuff," Germaine said. "You know, on one CD, we can have thousands of documents."

Eventually, fewer people will be needed to file the documents, Germaine.

"That will save tax dollars," he said.