Former Cocoa Beach Mayor Dave Netterstrom Seeks Brevard County’s Clerk of Court Position

By  //  October 16, 2016

ABOVE VIDEO: Former Cocoa Beach Mayor Dave Netterstrom is running for Brevard County’s  Clerk of Court. Although he is a registered Republican, Netterstrom is running as a non-party-affiliated, or NPA, candidate and pledging to stay out of politics. The election is November 8.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – When Dave Netterstrom resigned as mayor of Cocoa Beach with a whole year left in his term, folks wondered what was going on with the man. Netterstrom never gave the true reason for his departure until after his mother died.

“She had come down with cancer and needed help,” said Netterstrom. “I couldn’t say that I resigned in order to help her, because she would have been very upset.”

During that very difficult time in his life, Netterstrom worked with Cocoa Beach to assure a smooth transition while he cared for his mom. Now he is back in the political scene as he seeks Brevard County’s Clerk of Court position this November.

The Cocoa Beach resident believes he is the right guy for the job, which essentially entails being the chief financial officer for the county, assuring that all expenditures of county funds are in full compliance with the law.

This important office is also responsible for the accurate keeping of records, from marriage licenses and jury summons to real estate transactions and court records of criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile and traffic cases.

The Clerk of Court also maintains minutes of all County Commissioners’ board meetings and has been designed by the United States Department of State to receive and process passport applications.

In past years, the Clerk of Court has sometimes been seen in an adversarial light. Netterstrom wants to change that perception.

“Instead of fighting with Brevard County, I want to fight for Brevard County,” said Netterstrom. “I believe the Clerk of Court should be a non-partisan position because it is not a policy-making position.”

FORMER COCOA BEACH MAYOR Dave Netterstrom, above center, believes he is the right person to be the Brevard County’s Clerk of Court position, which essentially entails being the chief financial officer for the county, assuring that all expenditures of county funds are in full compliance with the law. (Image for Space Coast Daily)
FORMER COCOA BEACH MAYOR Dave Netterstrom, above center, believes he is the right person to be the Brevard County’s Clerk of Court position, which essentially entails being the chief financial officer for the county, assuring that all expenditures of county funds are in full compliance with the law. (Image for Space Coast Daily)

Although he is a registered Republican, Netterstrom is running as a non-party-affiliated, or NPA, candidate and pledging to stay out of politics.

“I want to focus on doing the job voters want me to do, not on other things I shouldn’t be involved in,” he said. “We need to work with Tallahassee and the other state Clerks to find collaborative solutions that are best for Brevard.”

netterstrom-260x240The 51-year-old candidate brings serious experience to the job at hand, should he get elected. As mayor of Cocoa Beach, Netterstrom promoted redevelopment in his favorite town, reduced health care costs, worked to make City Hall more customer friendly, streamlined permitting processes and developed that rare bird in a small town, a strategic plan with goals.

The stresses of the Clerk of Court position should be a breeze for Netterstrom to handle, since in his last job, as director of operations for Sony Ericsson, he was on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day and was responsible for many employees.

Beyond Ericsson, Netterstrom worked as a certified quality engineer for Symbiosis, a manufacturer of medical devices. Quality control is a critical part of the job of the Clerk of Court, responsible for the accuracy of thousands of official documents and records.

FORMER COCOA BEACH MAYOR Dave Netterstrom, above center, believes he is the right person to be the Brevard County’s Clerk of Court position, which essentially entails being the chief financial officer for the county, assuring that all expenditures of county funds are in full compliance with the law. (Image for Space Coast Daily)
FORMER COCOA BEACH MAYOR Dave Netterstrom, above center, believes he is the right person to be the Brevard County’s Clerk of Court position, which essentially entails being the chief financial officer for the county, assuring that all expenditures of county funds are in full compliance with the law. (Image for Space Coast Daily)

LONGTIME BREVARD RESIDENT

Netterstrom’s family settled in Brevard when he was 14; he graduated from Cocoa Beach High School in 1983.

Although he left town to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a master’s in business administration from Florida Atlantic University, later accepted positions in South Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, before eventually returning to his beloved Brevard in 2003.

He didn’t leave again and is currently an investor, focusing primarily on real estate.

With an extended family of more than 80 relatives, Netterstrom retains deep roots along the Space Coast.
“Family gatherings are never boring!” he said.

His wife, Sherri, is a native Brevardian born at Health First Cape Canaveral Hospital. The couple have three grown children, Crystal, Nicholas and Josh, and are experiencing the joys of grandparenthood with 14-month-old Raegan.

During his down time, Netterstrom chills by jogging on the beach, attending Friday Fests and working out at Cocoa Beach Health & Fitness.

Nettrestrom knows that should the voters trust him with the Clerk of Court position, he faces tough challenges.

“The budget has been drastically cut for the Clerk of Court office and the employees haven’t gotten raises in seven years,” he said.

The office has received a 15 percent cut in budget from the Clerks of Court Operations Corporation in Tallahassee at the same time the staff is facing increased health care costs. Morale, as is to be expected, is at a low. Netterstrom wants to change things, first by tackling the budget cut.

As Mayor of Cocoa Beach, Netterstrom strove to make the city’s residents and its visitors feel good about the town. As Clerk of Court for Brevard County, he promises to instill that same pride of place for all Brevard County residents.
As Mayor of Cocoa Beach, Dave Netterstrom strove to make the city’s residents and its visitors feel good about the town. As Clerk of Court for Brevard County, he promises to instill that same pride of place for all Brevard County residents.

“It is the highest reduction in the state,” said Netterstrom. “On average, other counties were reduced by 5.7 percent.”

Without some action to turn things around, Brevard residents should expect less customer service and longer waiting in lines, but Nettrestrom has plans.

“I believe this is preventable,” he said.“I’ll benchmark with other Clerks to lower costs and I’ll fight for Brevard’s fair share in Tallahassee.”

As Mayor of Cocoa Beach, Netterstrom strove to make the city’s residents and its visitors feel good about the town. As Clerk of Court for Brevard County, he promises to instill that same pride of place for all Brevard County residents.

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Political advertisement paid for and approved by Dave Netterstrom for Brevard County Clerk of Court