ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Nov. 1, 2022 — North America’s leading association for government finance expertise has awarded St. Johns County the “Triple Crown” for transparency and accountability in communicating St. Johns County’s financial picture to taxpayers and residents, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Brandon J. Patty announced today.

St. Johns County is among only 317 governmental entities nationwide receiving the Triple Crown for Fiscal Year 2020.

“Earning the Triple Crown is among the highest honors in government finance and demonstrates our commitment and dedication to achieving the gold standard in transparency, financial responsibility and public outreach,” Clerk Patty said. “This marks the first time St. Johns County has been awarded the Triple Crown title, which is a whole-of-government effort and exemplifies our pledge to protecting the public trust in our stewardship of tax dollars.”

“Receiving this award is a testament to the care and attention we place on transparency within our budget process. It’s an honor to work with so many individuals committed to being good stewards of taxpayer money,” said Hunter Conrad, St. Johns County Administrator.

To earn the Triple Crown, St. Johns County and the Clerk’s office received three individual awards from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) in the same budget year: the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, presented to the county; the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award, presented to the Clerk’s office; and the Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR) Award for the Clerk’s inaugural report, titled “Tracking Your Tax Dollars: A Guide to St. Johns County’s Finances.

These awards are given to government organizations who meet the GFOA’s highest standards for excellence in financial reporting and public transparency. Each award program recognizes governments that produce reports that communicate their financial stories transparently and meet specific standards.

The GFOA is an independent professional association whose best practice guidelines are considered the benchmark in public finance. Founded in 1906, the association represents more than 20,000 government and public finance officials throughout the United States and Canada.