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

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Leaders in Orange County are set to discuss a possible lawsuit Tuesday against the county’s elections office.

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It follows a Channel 9 investigation into supervisor Glen Gilzean’s decision to send $5 million to Valencia College and different non-profits without asking permission.

Gilzean is now calling out Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

As far as Gilzean is concerned, the mayor knew about what he planned to do to fund the scholarships.

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

He’s also pushing back against threats of a lawsuit from county commissioners over how he spent $5 million.

Gilzean used $2 million to fund scholarships at Valencia College and another $2 million to support CareerSource.

However, county attorneys say Gilzean didn’t get the required permission before making those decisions.

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

Gilzean said he made the moves because his office saved money last year and returned $700,000 in unspent funds to the county.

“Orange County residents should be concerned, disappointed, and offended that the mayor wants to waste hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on attorneys and legal fees to deny low-income students the opportunity to improve their lives,” Gilzean said.

County attorneys argue that it’s not about whether the money went to a good cause, it’s about Gilzean overstepping his authority.

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

Emails show that attorneys told Demings that under state law, Gilzean can’t move funds around without approval.

They point to his budget, which shows he saved money on temporary workers and postage but spent the excess on unspecified contracts, which were meant for emergencies.

See more in the video above.

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