Over the course of his career, Douglas Isabelle has made countless contributions to the Florida clerk family, and his vision and leadership have been extremely impactful along the way. He is deeply beloved by so many current and previous coworkers and team members alike for his commitment to creating positive change in court-related budgeting.
Douglas Isabelle worked for the U.S. Office of Policy, Management, and Budget in Washington D.C. right out of college from 1978-1988. He then came to Florida in 1988 to be employed with the Florida Auditor General’s Office in the newly created Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability and worked there until being hired by the Florida Clerks and Comptroller’s Association in 1998.
Isabelle’s legacy with the Clerks began when he was hired by the Florida Clerks and Comptroller’s Association in 1998 to help lead the Clerks through the transition from local funding of their court-related duties to a constitutional amendment requiring a state funding process. Along with Clerks and staff from numerous Clerk’s offices, Isabelle was an integral part of creating the current system of budgeting and performance measures for the Clerks used today.
After 10 years working for the Association, Isabelle was hired to the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation (CCOC) in 1998. He was eventually placed in the newly established position of Deputy Executive Director where he continued his work in improving the budgeting system, improving the performance evaluation of Clerks and their staff, and generally being the expert and historian on all things related to the transition process from local to state funding for Clerks’ court-related budgets.
Douglas Isabelle has always been more than just an employee throughout his career. Whether it be making fast friends with his coworkers, being known as the “Survey King”, having a blast on the softball field with colleague John Dew, or sharing Yankee and Dodger baseball stories with Clerk Harley Ruvin, all who know or have worked with Doug are truly lucky.
He has been a friend, confidant, and cheerleader when faced with a challenge to move forward and get difficult projects or goals done. Isabelle, always the optimist, has been a light to us all that kept us moving toward the goal of having a stable budget process for the Clerks in the future. It is a fitting send-off that in his last week of work before retiring on April 30th, the Florida Legislature passed SB 838 which brings Clerks a tremendous step forward in having future budget stability.
To the CCOC team, Doug offers the advice of “Be quick to listen before speaking. God gave us two ears and one mouth.” To the Florida clerks, Isabelle hopes that they continue to be the clerk family he loves to be a part of.
We appreciate all Doug has done over the years and know that while he is “retiring” from his current position, it is expected he will be available to provide knowledge and advice.
