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Honorable Chief Judge Bonnie J. Helms

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2022 Chief Justice's Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Chief Judge Bonnie J. Helms

KEY WEST, FL— The 16^th Judicial Circuit is pleased to announce that Chief Judge Bonnie J. Helms is the recipient of the 2022 Chief Justice’s Distinguished Judicial Service Award. This award is presented annually to one judge in the State of Florida to honor and recognize outstanding service as it relates to the support of pro bono legal services. The award will be presented by Chief Justice Charles Canady at a ceremony at the Supreme Court of Florida in Tallahassee on January 20, 2022.

Judge Helms was elected to the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court bench in 2014 and ran without opposition in 2020. She currently sits in the Family and Civil Divisions in Key West and beginning January 1, 2022, she will be assigned to the Family Division in Marathon. She was recently elected by her colleagues as Chief Judge for a two-year term which began July 1, 2021. Judge Helms is also the current chair of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Committee, which educates local attorneys on the need to provide pro bono services and promotes to the public the benefits of pro bono services that local attorneys and Legal Services of the Florida Keys provide through clinics and individual representation.

The Distinguished Judicial Service award is presented at the annual Pro Bono Award Ceremony in Tallahassee, in which the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar also honor and recognize individual, circuit, Voluntary Bar, Law Firm, Young Lawyers Division and Distinguished Federal Judicial Service recipients for their efforts in ensuring access to justice for those who could otherwise not afford it.

Placeholder for - Cheryl Alfonso

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2022 Employee of the Quarter (July-September) - Cheryl Alfonso

Congratulations to Cheryl Alfonso, Court Operations Manager, for being selected as the Employee of the Quarter for July-September, 2022. Cheryl plays a important role in Court Administration, as she provides all of the personnel support for 65 state and county-funded employees and judges. She is also responsible for coordinating the facility issues for all three courthouse locations, which includes emergency management and security issues. During the height of the pandemic, when the majority of staff were teleworking, Cheryl was responsible for ensuring their timesheets and worklogs were in order. She was also tasked with the notifications and contact tracing when employees had tested positive for COVID. These extra duties brought on by the pandemic were very time-consuming and detailed, but Cheryl made sure that everything was in order.

As of late, the circuit has been faced with an unprecedented rate of turnover. Her personnel responsibilities include posting positions, coordinating interviews, calling references and once the employee is on-board, doing a one-on-one orientation. This has taken up a great deal of her time, but she continues to handle all of her other job responsibilities professionally and in a timely fashion.

In addition to the personnel, facilities and security responsibilities, Cheryl also handles duties in Court Administration such as answer phones, handle contract payments for vendors, complete OSCA surveys and reports, plan the annual Employee Recognition Luncheon and holiday party and assist with any other gathering or event that staff asks her to help with. As one employee nomination stated "Cheryl wears many hats". Another nomination stated "Whenever there is a problem, Cheryl is the person people turn to to fix it. Cheryl doesn't shy away from these extra duties because she cares deeply for the Sixteenth Circuit." This is evident in the fact that Cheryl answers emails and texts after hours and on the weekends!

The nominations received for Cheryl are a testament to the many years of dedicated service that she has provided to the Circuit, but most importantly the time, energy and dedication she has given to each and every employee. Thank you Cheryl! The 16th Judicial Circuit is lucky to have someone on our team as loyal, caring and hard-working as you!

EmployeeoftheQuarter

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