Gov. Rick Scott appoints Collier's deputy clerk to be interim clerk

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Collier County's chief deputy clerk to serve as the interim clerk of courts.

Crystal Kinzel, 62, is set to be sworn into office Wednesday, hours after Scott announced her appointment and less than a week after the death of the county's longtime clerk, Dwight Brock. 

Kinzel was the only applicant for the position of interim clerk of courts, said Ashley Cook, Scott's press secretary.

Kinzel will serve as the interim head of the department until Nov. 13, a week after the general election. Earlier this week, Kinzel filed papers to run to serve the remaining two years of Brock's term. She is running as a Republican.

Kinzel, who worked as a finance director with the Collier County Sheriff's Office for 16 years before joining the clerk of courts office in 2005, said she wants to continue serving the county's residents.

"I look forward to continuing the job," she said.

Since becoming chief deputy clerk 1½ years ago, Kinzel said she already has taken on a leadership role in the department.

"I've assumed a lot of these duties over the last year," she said.

More:Collier's deputy clerk files papers to run for job Dwight Brock had

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Brock, 64, died June 12 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, where he was awaiting a lung transplant. He had been the county's clerk since 1992. After winning his seventh term in 2016, he was eligible to keep the clerk's job until at least 2020.

Anyone who wants to serve the rest of his term has until noon Friday to qualify to get on the ballot. Multiple candidates from the same party would have to run in the Aug. 28 primary. The general election is Nov. 6.

Kinzel's appointment will mean Naples lawyer Laird A. Lile will be relieved of his duties as temporary clerk. Twentieth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Michael T. McHugh appointed Lile on Friday.

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