Biography

Noelle Branning earned her Bachelor of Science from Florida State University in 1998 and her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2004. Upon moving to Southwest Florida, she worked with the State Attorney’s Office of the 20th Judicial Circuit as a Certified Legal Intern and then focused her legal career on handling criminal defense and family law matters. Noelle joined the Lee County Tax Collector as General Counsel in 2013 and was appointed Chief Deputy Tax Collector by Larry Hart in 2018. In her role as Chief Deputy Tax Collector, she focused on operational effectiveness, leadership development, and organizational culture.

Noelle has received Leadership certifications from the Florida Tax Collectors Association and the Florida Sterling Council. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida and United Way where she is also a Pacesetter Campaign Co-Chair. Noelle is eager to become involved with the Florida Tax Collectors Association and has accepted the role of District 10 Chair to work with Association leadership on tax collector matters with state agency partners. She is a past Committee Chair for both the 20th Judicial Circuit Grievance and Unlicensed Practice of Law Committees and the Lee County Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Noelle is the mother of two children, Lachlan and Connor, and wife of Circuit Court Judge, Robert Branning. Noelle is honored to serve Lee County as Tax Collector with a focus on exceptional customer service.

Biography

Matt Caldwell is a 7th generation Florida native, whose family came to Micanopy in 1826. Matt was born in Gainesville but grew up in Lee County where he met his wife, Yvonne. They live there today, where Yvonne serves as an educator and they raise their beautiful daughter, Ava.

After attending local schools in Lee County, Matt received his Associates Degree from Edison College and his Bachelor of Arts in History from Florida Gulf Coast University. While in college he began his career as a real estate appraiser, ultimately joining the firm of Maxwell, Hendry, Simmons in 2004, where he remains of counsel. He has attained the highest state certification in his field and is qualified as an expert witness in multiple states and federal court. In 2019, Matt become a partner at TM Strategic Consulting, focused on candidate and political consulting.

Matt was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2010-2018. In 2020, Matt was elected to serve as the Lee County Property Appraiser, following the retirement of 40-year incumbent Ken Wilkinson. As the author of numerous Constitutional Amendments, including Save Our Homes, Working Waterfronts, and Portability, Ken set a standard of excellence for public service. Matt is proud to continue Ken’s legacy as an advocate for the taxpayer; using the platform as a Constitutional Officer to support good government at the local, state, and federal level.