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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Glen Gilzean, a board member from the special district overseeing Walt Disney World, as Orlando’s top elections official.
Ahead of the 2024 election, DeSantis on Monday announced Gilzean is taking over the open Orange County Supervisor of Elections position after the county’s longtime elections chief retired.
DeSantis attended what was described by his office as a “press conference” ahead of the announcement, but left the stage before reporters could ask him about his new appointment. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections is an elected official, but if they vacate the seat before their term ends, Florida’s governor may select a person to fill the role.
Gilzean is on the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which was taken over by the state and renamed amid DeSantis’ feud with Disney. Last year, Gilzean was forced to step down from his role as chair of the Florida Commission on Ethics – another DeSantis-appointed position – after discovering that, by law, “no member may hold any public employment.”
Longtime Orange County elections supervisor Bill Cowles retired in January after 30 years on the job. A group of 13 civil rights groups penned a letter urging him to appoint a Deputy Supervisor of Elections before his departure “to ensure a seamless transition and the continued efficiency of our election processes.”
In his reply, Cowles said it wouldn’t be necessary and left it up to the county to decide which of his four deputy chiefs would finish out his term, which ends in 2025.
“I have never appointed one chief deputy in my career and have no intention to do so now,” Cowles said, according to WKMG. “These four chiefs are well versed in their areas and elections in general. Orange County voters are in good hands.”
When asked for comment, Orange County Democratic Party Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago said the appointment of a DeSantis loyalist is “more than deeply troubling.”
“Mr. Gilzean’s record as a Republican party loyalist and as a close ally of Governor DeSantis, is what has led to his appointment as the Orange County Supervisor of Elections,” Vilchez Santiago said. “Having such a partisan figure administering the elections in such a Democratic county is more than deeply troubling.”
Vilchez Santiago urged residents to “stay vigilant and engaged” to ensure fair elections and said party officials are working to make sure a Democrat is elected in November.
“The Orange County Democratic Party stands resolute in our commitment to safeguard the will of Orange County voters, not just for 2024 but for the future,” Vilchez Santiago said. “To that end, we have established an Election Protection Committee, spearheaded by attorney Ben H. King. This committee has already demonstrated its effectiveness by facilitating ballot curing, deploying poll watchers and greeters, and overseeing canvassing board meetings during the recent HD35 special election.”
Gilzean sits on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board alongside Sarasota County School Board Member Bridget Ziegler. DeSantis did not say when Gilzean will begin serving as supervisor of elections.
