ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Supervisor of Elections Karen Castor-Dentel will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon, where she’s expected to announce the recovery of millions of dollars spent by her predecessor on pet projects.
At stake is the $2.1 million given by Glen Gilzean to Valencia College for scholarships named after the former supervisor, as well as $1 million given to local nonprofits for voter outreach programs that wasn’t in the county’s budget.
The spending put a huge financial strain on Castor-Dentel just as she assumed control of the office. Based on reporting at county commission meetings, the incoming supervisor was left with barely enough money in her budget to cover her office’s payroll.
As one of her first acts, her team let go of more than a half dozen staff members hired by Gilzean to create breathing room.
County leaders have told Castor-Dentel to use any money recovered to supplement her budget until the beginning of the new fiscal year in October, even if it was money from 2024 that should have gone back to the county for reallocation.
Valencia agreed to give the money back weeks ago, fulfilling a promise they made after WFTV first reported that the spending had not been authorized.
Channel 9 will have a crew at the press conference and will bring updates this afternoon.
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