Glen Gilzean’s $2.1 million scholarships spark a controversy

Orange County Elections Supervisor Glen Gilzean is facing backlash for a $2.1 million scholarship fund he recently started for graduating high school seniors to attend local community colleges.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings called it an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars while Gilzean argued “The Glen Gilzean, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Promise of the Future Scholarship” is a meaningful use of taxpayer dollars to educate the next generation of voters at Valencia College and Orange Technical College.

“This money was all made possible thanks to our office’s saving $5 million during the year, what better use for savings than investing in the next generation of voters,” said Gilzean, who had been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in a blue district, in a statement. “This is a clear-cut case of the Orange County political class hoping to score cheap political points.”

But Demings voiced concerns that Gilzean never alerted the county about his plans to create full scholarships for all 2025 graduating seniors from Evans and Jones high schools as well as any private, charter, or home school graduates from select zip codes.

“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,” Demings said in a statement.

Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond, the county’s legal team and budget director are researching what steps they can take next, said county spokesperson Jane Watrel.

Gilzean argued the scholarship’s name can be changed and his aim is to only help students with the surplus in his office’s budget.

“This program can be named anything, or after anyone, and come January that will be up to the next Supervisor of Elections. It’s not about me. It’s about lifting our next generation,” Gilzean said in a statement. “We have to find a way to reach young voters, especially in historically low-turnout areas. Simply expecting young people to age into voting hasn’t worked. This is a way to reach the next generation. If it works, it could be a model for the rest of the state, if it doesn’t then at worst, we’ve helped kids get an education.”

Jones and Evans high schools were planning full-on pep rallies, complete with bands, cheerleaders and banners to celebrate the scholarship winners. The list of potential speakers for the event included Demings, which had been a surprise since the Mayor said he didn’t know the taxpayer funded scholarships even existed in the first place.

Demings said, “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,” just before the end of the county’s fiscal year Sept. 30.

Gilzean has a connection at Valencia College through his longtime friend and associate.

The school’s trustee chair is Michael Sasso, who was Gilzean’s best man in his wedding and was hired under a no-bid contract to represent Gilzean’s office over election-related litigation issues, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Sasso was appointed by DeSantis to serve on Disney World’s governing board that later hired Gilzean in 2023. DeSantis then appointed Gilzean to run Orange County’s elections in March 2024 after longtime elections supervisor Bill Cowles resigned abruptly in his term.

“While Chair Sasso was not directly involved in this contract, we do share a passion for empowering the next generation,” Gilzean said in a statement.

The controversy has put the school district and the college system in an awkward position.

“The Orange County Supervisor of Elections approached Valencia College about creating an educational partnership to support workforce development in Orange County. College officials worked with him on different options, which resulted in the final scholarship agreement,” Valencia College offered in a statement. “The college relied on his representation that he, as an Orange County constitutional officer, had the authority to enter into this agreement. The college has not been contacted by county officials and, as always, welcomes their partnership.”

Orange County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon or say whether the upcoming pep rallies will be canceled or delayed.

Since Gilzean did not seek another election supervisor term, Karen Castor Dentel won Tuesday’s election to replace him.

Castor Dentel said she already planned to ask for a full audit into the Supervisor of Election’s office to look at contracts, spending and business practices before she learned of Gilzean’s scholarship program. Castor Dentel, who is currently an Orange County School Board member, said “scholarships are certainly a worthy cause” but said she didn’t think it was appropriate for the election supervisor to fund them. “The mission and mandate of the office is to run effective elections,” she said.