Controversy continue over Glen Gilzean’s $5M Spending: Valencia College offers to return scholarship

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There are new developments in the controversy over scholarships and grants established by the Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Glen Gilzean.

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Channel 9 told you that commissioners are getting ready to discuss whether they should sue their own elections office over the five million dollars in unauthorized spending.

In a statement issued late Friday, Valencia College offered to return the $2.1 million that Gilzean sent them for those scholarships.

Read: Rage growing in Orange County after election office’s $5 million spending revelations

The college president sent Channel 9 the following statement:

“Valencia College is grateful for the generous support of our many community partners. We appreciate the forward thinking of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections who expressed a goal to increase voter registration and college-going rates in underserved communities through the establishment of the Orange County Promise of the Future Scholarship Fund.

The recent success of a similar program, Osceola Prosper, gives us optimism about the success of this scholarship fund. Osceola Prosper provides scholarships for all graduating high school seniors and is funded by the Osceola County Commission. Osceola Prosper resulted in a substantial increase in Osceola County’s college-going rate, which is now, for the first time ever, higher than Orange County’s. At the same time, the Osceola Prosper program eliminated disparities in the college-going rate in historically underrepresented communities.

Our hope is that the students at Evans and Jones High Schools, which have among the lowest college-going rates in Orange County, benefit from the scholarships contemplated by the Orange County Promise of the Future Scholarship Fund. Although it would be disappointing if students do not have access to these scholarships, if Orange County asks for the return of the funds, Valencia will return the $2.1 million contribution."

—  Dr. Kathleen Plinske

The offer came a week after WFTV unearthed a contract between the Orange County Supervisor of Elections and Valencia College, allocating $2.1 million for scholarships for Jones and Evans High School students.

On Wednesday, Mayor Jerry Demings discovered the office signed a deal with CareerSource that gave the job seeking nonprofit an additional $1.9 million.

Read: Orange County schools cancel pep rallies amid scholarship controversy

Thursday, commissioners and the county took another look at a $1 million grant program Gilzean set up with regional nonprofits, including the YMCA, Goodwill and a diabetes organization.

The grants, which were previously announced, were for voter outreach and education. Depending on the amount received, organizations are required to hold events, record videos, post on social media and – for the biggest grants – adopt a precinct.

Read: Only on 9: Orange County SOE creates scholarship with tax dollars, naming it after himself

Gilzean has maintained that as a constitutional officer, he is allowed to spend the budget the county gave him as he sees fit. State law requires all “unspent” funds to be returned to commissioners.

In past years, the elections office has returned between $1 million and $3 million. The county was expecting to receive $800,000 from Gilzean on October 1. Budget executives said the actual amount was more than $100,000 short.

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