ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – On his last day as Orange County’s Supervisor of Elections, Glen Gilzean is reflecting on his accomplishments and speaking about his feud with Orange County’s mayor and comptroller.
Gilzean, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, did not seek reelection and his final day in office is Monday.
Gilzean said during his time as elections supervisor, he conducted several successful elections while expanding transparency and voter access.
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“Orange County residents should be proud of the work that we did here,” Gilzean said. “When it came to Orange County, we were not only safe, we were transparent, we were secure, and we were innovative.”
Since the November general election, however, there have been accusations of misspending and illegal budget withdrawals.
In December, a report from the comptroller’s office claimed that Gilzean withdrew more money than legally allowed, spending 51% of his budget, totaling $19 million from October to the present.
Comptroller Phil Diamond cited a state law in his report, stating, “If the supervisor doesn’t seek reelection, he can only spend 8.33% of his budget every month.”
In response, Gilzean released a county memo dated Aug. 19, indicating he had requested approval for larger withdrawals.
“The mayor and the comptroller have been on a political witch hunt,” Gilzean said. “Florida law says it clearly that the supervisor has access to spend the dollars that best fits the mission of the office.”
The county commission voted to withhold Gilzean’s December budget, but decided to release $250,000 in employee payroll to payroll company ADP.
“The investigative report from the Orange County Comptroller shows that it is Mr. Gilzean who has broken the law,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said in a statement last month. “This not about partisan politics but right versus wrong and lawful versus unlawful.
Gilzean said he stands by the use of funds and there was no illegal spending.
“We have documentation that shows that we had the ability to utilize those resources,” Gilzean said. “How else would we have the 50% if the county didn’t approve it when I requested those funds, per the law.”
While looking to put the feuding behind him, Gilzean said he’s also met with incoming elections supervisor Karen Castor Dentel and offered his support as she takes office on Tuesday.
“I told her that I want (her) to be successful because if she’s successful, Orange County voters are successful,” Gilzean said.
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