County leaders say they have clear path forward to recover scholarship, grant money

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioners and attorneys said they had a strategy to recover the $5 million in spending for scholarships and grants by the Supervisor of Elections, even as they worked to keep their specific plans close.

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That strategy would potentially include a lawsuit that’s been hinted by Mayor Jerry Demings for days, working with the incoming Supervisor of Elections when she assumes office in January, and filing a restraining order against Supervisor Glen Gilzean to limit his authority in the final six weeks of his office, the mayor said.

Tuesday night’s discussion was the first chance for commissioners to chime in, and for some commissioners, the first in-depth discussion they’ve had on the topic since WFTV broke the news of the scholarships earlier this month.

Read: Orange County elections supervisor Gilzean responds to $5M spending controversy

“Any of you think it’s a good thing to take public money and name a scholarship after yourself?” Demings surveyed, to visible head shaking.

Commissioners complained about inefficient polling locations and conversations they’ve had with elections workers about the lack of resources at each site.

“I am one of five voters in my house and we only got one voter guide to share,” Nicole Wilson said.

Read: Gilzean overstepped authority when moving money around, attorneys say

WFTV reported Gilzean’s office appeared to use 94% of its postage budget and a third of its temporary staffing budget last year to pay for the scholarships and grants, of which $2.1 million went to Valencia College and $1.9 million went to CareerSource.

Gilzean maintains that his management led to reduced costs that he was able to repurpose, and he didn’t need commissioners’ permission.

Citing several statutes, county attorneys disagreed.

“The litigators in our section are chomping at the bit to go forward with this one,” Jeffrey Newton promised.

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

Mayor Demings said both Valencia and CareerSource have told him they will not spend the money until the situation is resolved.

Valencia has offered to return the funds if the county asked, but Demings said it wasn’t the commissioners’ place to make the request. He said it would have to originate with Gilzean or Karen Castor Dentel after she takes her oath of office.

Less was said about the additional $1 million in grants that’s available to regional nonprofits from the supervisor’s current budget.

As some commissioners discussed auditing the supervisor’s office – to which Comptroller Phil Diamond said he was already discussing with Castor Dentel -- Demings said he wasn’t alarmed by the prospect of additional funds being spent.

“By shining a light on this issue, we’re putting the current supervisor in a position where everyone is watching now,” he said.

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