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

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Glen Gilzean, is facing questions about a scholarship that he created using taxpayer dollars.

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Gilzean said that he didn’t need permission to use millions of dollars for the scholarship, which is in his name.

Some county leaders don’t believe that is the case and are wondering if this is legal and should taxpayers had more of a say.

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Last year, then-Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles asked Orange County leaders for $22 million to fund elections, improve security and fund the day-to-day operations of the division.

According to a contract obtained by WFTV, the appointed SOE replacement, Gilzean, will spend $2.1 million on scholarships for students at Valencia College.

The scholarship would be named the “”The Glen Gilzean, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Promise of the Future Scholarship Fund.” It would be open to students at Evans and Jones High Schools who plan to study cyber security.

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“We were able to have some cost savings through the [Presidential Preference Primary] election and also the primary election,” Gilzean said. “I was able to use that savings to reinvest back into the office, but found ways of building the office for the future.”

When asked if the Mayor Jerry Demings knew, Gilzean said, “Absolutely, because, again, he’s attending the announcement on Friday.”

Mayor Demings said that Gilzean invited him to the event and gave him very few details.

Demings provided this statement to WFTV:

“Glen Gilzean has never discussed with me his plans to allocate $2.1 million dollars in taxpayer monies for a scholarship fund. To my knowledge, nor has he discussed it with any of the County Commissioners. He certainly didn’t discuss such plans during the public budget workshops with the Board of County Commissioners regarding his current fiscal year budget which began October 1, 2024. After I voted at an early voting location on October 28, Mr. Gilzean had a brief conversation with me indicating that he would soon be making an announcement about scholarships for Jones and Evans High School students. He offered no details but indicated that he would send me an invitation to attend the event. I did not learn of the details until my office received a media inquiry today. It appears Mr. Gilzean signed an agreement with Valencia College on September 27. In my opinion, it is inappropriate for Mr. Gilzean to use taxpayer funds to name a scholarship fund after himself. He certainly should not have pledged unused funds from his FY 23-24 budget for the purpose of establishing a scholarship fund in his name at Valencia College. Instead, the funds should have been returned to Orange County Government”.

Three county commissioners and other leaders that Eyewitness News spoke to on Friday said they never heard of this scholarship and wondered if the money could be used to address some of the office’s needs or returned to the county.”

—  Mayor Jerry Demings

Incoming SOE Karen Castor-Dentel told Channel 9 that she found out about the scholarship through her position on the school board, when she was invited to the schools’ pep rally.

“We could have increased our staff, we could have increased our equipment, and made the voter experience much more convenient and quicker,” she said.

Gilzean said he had the authority to do this because he sets his office’s budget as a Constitutional Officer. He also said he would’ve had to go back to the county for permission to spend the money on infrastructure improvements, which he called not feasible in the waning days of the fiscal year.

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He said expanding the scholarship to include students from all schools would’ve cost more than his office’s annual budget – and the two chosen schools represented a voter desert where more engagement was needed.

“Building the office for the future,” he said.

He denied his office’s attorney, Michael Sasso, who also serves as the chairman of Valencia College’s board, was involved in the arrangement.

Sasso did not return a request for comment Friday.

WFTV asked Gilzean why he named the scholarship after himself, “The office is technically the Glen Gilzean Office of Supervisor of elections, just like if you go to Lake County or even Seminole, or any of them,” he explained.

The county Comptroller’s Office is now looking into whether the program’s funding is legal.

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