Hightower previously served as an administrative specialist for the City of Tallahassee Office of Treasury Management. He has experience in account balancing, account reconciliation, budgeting and fraud monitoring, the governor’s press release said.

Hightower replaces former clerk Kirk Reams, who was convicted of grand larceny in August.

Reams was arrested last year on charges of grand theft over $100,000 and organizing a scheme to defraud over $50,000 after an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as previously reported by the Tallahassee Democrat. He was charged with conspiring to defraud the county of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Reams from office shortly after his arrest. JC O’Steen served as acting clerk after Reams was indicted. Last November, DeSantis appointed Jason Welty as clerk.