ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County leaders are expected to take another shot at corralling the Supervisor of Elections office Tuesday as their investigation into a spending scandal grows, which could include discussion of some unprecedented measures, four sources familiar with the plan said.
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Commissioners are expected to talk about withholding the next disbursement of funds from the county to Glen Gilzean, a constitutionally questionable move that could draw a lawsuit – and put Gilzean’s office into a cash crunch.
According to sources tied to both the county and the elections office, the renewed debate was sparked by the discovery shortly before Thanksgiving that Gilzean’s office has spent more money than the county was initially aware of.
Read: Elections staff terminated in wake of spending scandal
The funds are tied to the OC Votes grant program Gilzean set up this year, in which his office has designated $1 million to give out to local nonprofits in the name of voter outreach.
When the spending controversy first became public, Gilzean’s office and a board set up to oversee the grant program had approved $280,000 in applications from the overall $1 million. Some of the nonprofits included in the approved list included the YMCA, the Urban League, a Diabetes foundation and several churches.
The number of approved grants has since dropped to less than $200,000 as different nonprofits have apparently bowed out, including Goodwill, which had been approved for a $75,000 grant. Goodwill did not immediately return a request for comment on the change Monday.
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However, the sources – speaking under the condition of anonymity, as they weren’t authorized to talk to WFTV -- said county staff found out Gilzean had already handed over the entire $1 million to the program’s administrators, making the money “spent” in the county’s view and putting it out of the reach of incoming supervisor Karen Castor Dentel, who takes over in January.
That could present a problem. Legally, Gilzean is only allowed to spend 1/12th of his budget before he hands over the reins, an amount somewhere in the realm of $1.7 million.
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With the lion’s share of that money already gone, there are growing concerns he will exceed that amount as he continues to pay staff, invoices and run the office day-to-day.
The revelation was particularly potent inside the county because commissioners rejected Gilzean’s funding request to set the grant program up last summer and were outraged when the appointed supervisor went around their backs with funds meant for other initiatives.
Read: Gilzean overstepped authority when moving money around, attorneys say
Orange County’s spokespeople wouldn’t comment on the discussion plans beyond confirming the mayor planned to bring the overall topic up at the end of their 1:30 meeting Tuesday.
Gilzean’s staff did not respond to a request for comment, however a press conference detailing a “major announcement” was subsequently scheduled for Tuesday morning.
It’s not clear what the “major announcement” is, if it’s tied to Tuesday afternoon’s discussion or the recent termination of three high-ranking office employees, including the department’s Chief Financial Officer.
The terminations are being viewed by people familiar with the move as an attempt to find a scapegoat, since records show Gilzean personally oversaw the arrangements made with Valencia College and CareerSource.
Reached by phone, Castor Dentel promised to hire anyone “unfairly” let go back after she’s sworn in.
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