Gabrielle Russon
Some of the first matters of business for newly sworn-in Orange County Elections Supervisor Karen Castor Dentel is to recover the taxpayer money given to community organizations by former Supervisor Glen Gilzean.
“This shortfall caused by millions of dollars in irresponsible spending by the previous administration threatens our ability to conduct safe and secure elections in Orange County,” Castor Dentel said.
Gilzean’s spending angered Orange County officials in the final weeks of his term. Gilzean, the former Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed Elections Supervisor, gave $2.1 million to Valencia College for scholarships and $1.37 million to the Central Florida Foundation for administrative and consulting services. CareerSource Central Florida already returned $1.9 million Gilzean gave for job training for temp workers.
“While these organizations are pillars of our community that have been drawn into the situation through no fault of their own, it’s vital that funds are returned to ensure the integrity of our elections,” Castor Dentel said. “I am optimistic that we can work collaboratively with these community partners … to secure the return of funds.”
Castor Dentel spoke to reporters Tuesday as she inherited the office that had seen negative headlines for weeks.
It’s unclear how much of her $19 million annual budget remains.
“We are still trying to uncover where we are financially,” she said.
Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond said last month Gilzean spent 51% of the annual budget in 2.5 months. Diamond, who attended the press conference, said Tuesday that he and Castor Dentel will reassess later if a full financial audit is needed.
Hours earlier, the Orange County Commission voted to resume budget payments to the Supervisor of Elections Office after the board stopped payments last month during the spending controversy. Gilzean unsuccessfully sued over the matter.
Castor Dentel said despite the budget issues, the county’s elections office is still running on track with municipal election deadlines.
“The staff here is very professional. They know the calendar,” she said.
As to what happens to Gilzean’s voter engagement programs or the employees he hired, Castor Dentel said she could not give answers on the first day on the job.
“I don’t know enough about how those funds have been spent, and how those community groups have spent those funds yet, and what the details are for their performance. So I still have a lot to figure out and uncover,” she said. “We’re just going through an evaluation of all staff and what the needs are in the office. We haven’t made any decisions yet about that.”
