ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Glen Gilzean’s staff members had piles of bank statements waiting in the lobby of the elections office Wednesday, along with a box of Wal-Mart doughnuts baked on the same day Gilzean emailed the statements to auditors: Monday, December 2.
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Gilzean and his staff made no attempt to hide their glee at the public misfortune of Orange County leaders, who voted Tuesday night to stop funding the elections office until the bank statements were produced, at the urging of Comptroller Phil Diamond.
Unfortunately for Diamond, Gilzean had sent the statements over the day before the vote. The email bounced from the auditor’s inbox because the attachments were too big.
Read: Elections staff terminated in wake of spending scandal
Gilzean’s office is now threatening to sue the county over the funding stoppage. His office was supposed to receive an additional $950,000 this month.
“Unfortunately for the Mayor, the threat of withholding funding from an independent constitutional office is not only outside the board’s power but also outside the law,” Gilzean’s office wrote in a statement.
Read: Gilzean overstepped authority when moving money around, attorneys say
County attorneys did not provide a specific statement in response to Gilzean. Tuesday night, however, they projected confidence they’d win any legal battle.
Gilzean’s office has received $9.6 million so far since October 1, or 19% more than required so far leaders explained. In theory, the county had the ability to skip a payment while staying above the minimum funding requirement.
County staff said they will not reverse course until Diamond’s auditors go through the bank statements and determine how much money Gilzean has left. Their concern is that he’s spent all or most of the money he has received so far on pet projects, including $1.1 million on voter outreach grants commissioners never signed off on.
Legally, Gilzean is only allowed to spend 1/12 of his budget per month since he’s leaving office in early January. It’s still not clear if he had the authority to redirect money within his budget, which is where the controversy first began.
Read: Orange County elections supervisor Gilzean responds to $5M spending controversy
Incoming supervisor Karen Castor Dentel said she has been denied access to records and senior staff she’d ordinarily review and meet with ahead of her assuming office, but she said she was not worried about the transition.
“I have faith in the system,” she said.
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