Gov. Scott appoints Eduardo Fernandez as Orange County Clerk of Courts

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that Eduardo "Eddie" Fernandez has been appointed the Orange County Clerk of Courts.

Fernandez, 33, took the stage as Scott announced he'd succeed Colleen Reilly, who has served on an interim basis following the death of Lydia Gardner.

Fernandez graduated from the University of Central Florida and has been an attorney with Shutts & Bowen Law Firm for about eight years.

On his application for the position he said he felt qualified to run the office because of his work as a lawyer with an MBA along with his community involvement.

"I think software and document production are two of the most important things in the court system," said Fernandez.

Fernandez was one of 12 people who were vying for the position.

Orange County Commissioner Tiffany Moore-Russell, also an attorney, was elected to the commission in 2006, was one of those hoping to get the appointment.

Reilly, the interim clerk, also wanted the permanent job. Reilly served as a deputy clerk of courts under Gardner since 2009.

Fernandez has a challenging issue to face when he starts his new job.

Two convicted killers were mistakenly released from prison because of forged documents that were filed at the Orange County Clerk's Office.

Channel 9's Deneige Broom asked Fernandez what he plans to do to ensure that doesn't happen again.

"One of the things that we need to do is make sure that there's some form of redundancy and verification, particularly for court documents that are filed for releases and anything else," said Fernandez.

Fernandez's position is up for grabs in November when the voters will choose a clerk of courts.

WFTV