Gabrielle Russon
After his appointment by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, Orange County Elections Supervisor Glen Gilzean threw himself a $16,500 swearing-in ceremony.
Leading the party planning was the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, which helped make the ceremony’s invitations, scout out locations for the event and write Gilzean’s speech. But perhaps most alarming, the Association picked up the tab — a move that led one government ethics expert to call it unethical.
Four months after the swearing-in ceremony, Gilzean wrote a $45,000 check using taxpayer money to Susan Plasencia, CEO of the Orlando Regional Realtor Foundation, which is the Association’s nonprofit. Plasencia is also a member of the House.
The Realtor Association quietly returned the $45,000 grant after Gilzean left office this year.
Through a public records request, Florida Politics obtained emails, invoices and other records from Gilzean’s Oath of Office ceremony held May 24, 2024, that raise new questions about his short but controversial time in office.
One ethics expert said he did not know if Gilzean’s dealings broke any laws, but said it is “surely unethical” and “all looks pretty bad.”
“If he accepted they’re paying for the party on the understanding that he would do something for them later, that is more likely to be illegal. But even if it’s not illegal, it gets into this area of an improper, unethical action,” said Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor who specializes in government ethics. “They gave him a gift, but obviously they got something back. It’s certainly a very bad practice to solicit or accept gifts from people who do business with your office.”
“It’s very rare that people in and around the government give gifts purely out of the goodness of gift-giving,” Briffault added.
When Gilzean took his oath of office a year ago, he credited the man who gave him the job.
“Many of you have played an important role in my journey to this day, but I would not be standing here if it were not for Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gov. DeSantis, thank you for appointing me to this critical role. I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to our Constitution,” Gilzean said, according to a copy of his remarks written with help from the Association.
Being named to the 10-month partial term as Elections Supervisor was Gilzean’s eighth gubernatorial appointment over the years. DeSantis chose Gilzean, a Republican, after the previous Elections Supervisor resigned in the middle of his term. At the time, Gilzean was the District Administrator at Disney World’s governing board when DeSantis and Republicans were at war with Disney.
At Gilzean’s Elections Supervisor swearing-in ceremony last May, 140 guests dined on salmon and BBQ for lunch ($5,800), and cookies were adorned with Gilzean’s seal to take home ($1,000), according to the final invoice and descriptions from people who attended.
A saxophonist played a solo ($1,037) in the ceremony that had decorations ($2,500), including two balloon garlands and 36 centerpieces on 36 tablecloths. Valet service ($390) and a photographer were also on hand ($600), according to the final invoice.
A pastor, Edgewater High School ROTC members and Gilzean’s family received presents ($950) during the ceremony. Photos showed Gilzean giving flowers to his wife and mother.
Supreme Court Judge Meredith Sasso, the wife of Michael Sasso, who is Gilzean’s good friend and business ally, gave the oath of office. Realtor Association CEO Cliff Long made opening remarks, according to the program.
Gilzean also unveiled his official portrait to the crowd, which included Freddie Fingers, who served with Gilzean on the Florida Commission on Ethics and later received a controversial no-bid contract from Gilzean’s Disney World government, according to the Orlando Sentinel and other media outlets.
Seven months after the $16,500 swearing-in ceremony, Gilzean’s term ended because he decided not to run for a full term.
Emails revealed that the Association played a significant behind-the-scenes role in the ceremony.
At one point, the Association estimated the event could cost as much as $20,000, as the organization had checked various high-end ballrooms and venues in downtown Orlando and Winter Park before settling on the Election Supervisor’s Office on Kaley Avenue.
“I was also speaking with Glen about a speech and he said you would be getting some things over to him so he could get an idea of what to say,” Byron Green, Gilzean’s elections coordinator, wrote in a May 13, 2024, email to La’Tonya Stark, Vice President of Engagement at the Association. “Can you please forward those things over?”
The Realtor Association appears to have covered the entire cost, as the Election Supervisor’s Office could not locate any checks, credit card transactions, invoices or receipts from the event when Florida Politics requested records.
“Attached please find the latest show flow and where we landed with our financials for this Oath of Office Event,” Stark emailed on May 23, 2024, to Gilzean, Long and others who worked at the Elections Office or the Realtor Association.
Stark emailed Green the final invoice on May 28, 2024. “Attached is the updated and NOW final invoice.”
“Thank you,” Green wrote back.
Then, on June 20, Stark from the Association emailed Green, Gilzean’s elections coordinator, with the subject line: “REMINDER: Don’t forget to send invoice for valet services to be paid.”
Green forwarded her a $402 valet bill and wrote, “Please see the attached invoice. Thank you for all you do.”
Stark emailed Green that she had made the payment.
“Thank you, I will let them know,” Green responded, adding a smiley face emoji.
Gilzean’s swearing-in ceremony was just the beginning of Gilzean and the Association’s partnership.
The Realtor Foundation later received the $45,000 grant. The Realtor group then sent email blasts to its members and posted on social media to promote Gilzean’s Office or election deadlines. The contract also called for the Realtor group to recruit two organizations to “adopt a precinct” for the upcoming election cycle and recruit at least 10 poll workers per month for a year and “engage local leaders and residents to discuss the importance of voting.”
“The members of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association and Foundation are deeply committed to their community. They take great pride in supporting the electoral process by encouraging people to vote and raising awareness about the importance of voting. This is a truly rewarding effort for everyone involved,” the Foundation said in an October 2024 report to Gilzean’s Office.
However, Gilzean’s overall spending soon caused a public uproar.
By November 2024, Gilzean faced backlash from Orange County officials regarding other grants he had given — $2.1 million to Valencia College and $1.9 million to CareerSource Central Florida.
Under fire, the college and the career center eventually returned the money. Eventually, so did the Association.
One recent story in March by former Orlando Sentinel investigative reporter Jason Garcia, who now writes the Seeking Rents Substack, raised questions about Gilzean spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on self-promotional videos or grants to GOP allies and friends.
After Gilzean’s term ran out, newly elected Supervisor Karen Castor Dentel took charge of the office and inherited a budget deficit this January. Her Office wrote to Plasencia on Jan. 30, asking her to stop any work and send the latest invoices, as Castor Dentel had reined in vendor expenses.
“This effort has heightened importance because of the significant SOE budget shortfall created in 2024. If you are not familiar with this issue, a simple online word search will provide numerous media reports,” Castor Dentel’s Chief Administrative Officer, Radhica Singh, wrote Plasencia.
Plasencia responded, saying her organization received a grant but wasn’t a vendor.
What concerned Castor Dentel’s Chief of Staff, Eddie Ayala, was that the Realtor Association had no records related to the $45,000 project as he asked for expenses or invoices. He wrote Long, the President of the Realtor Foundation and CEO of the Association, in a March 20 email.
“Section 4 of the contract makes it clear that progress reports should include details about the services provided to Orange County residents and identify any expenses related to the funds. Exhibit B also specifies that these reports should include information on how the funds were spent, along with supporting documentation,” Ayala said.
“To ensure we have a complete understanding of the work performed and that your organization is in full compliance, please provide a detailed description of the work completed and all associated expenses from Oct. 1, 2024, through March 17, 2025, the date you confirmed work had stopped. Additionally, please provide all related invoices, receipts, or other documentation that accounts for the $45,000 awarded to your organization.”
Ayala set a deadline of March 28 to get the records.
But on March 27, the Realtor Foundation returned the full $45,000 to the Elections Office.
Since leaving office, Gilzean has a new job. He is a senior adviser at Arrow Group, a subsidiary of Gunster, one of the law firms that Gilzean hired for legal services during his tenure as Elections Supervisor.
“I’m excited to join Arrow Group and help further their mission of redefining government affairs consulting,” Gilzean said. “I look forward to working with the talented team to drive meaningful change and make a positive impact in communities across Florida.”
Gilzean, DeSantis, Plasencia, Long and others from the Realtor Association did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
