Gov. Ron DeSantis has a new job for the man who has led the government of Walt Disney World since his allies took it over — election supervisor in Orange County, long one of Florida’s most reliable sources of Democratic votes.
Glenn Gilzin was appointed Monday by the Republican governor to oversee voting in Florida’s fifth-largest county, where more than 1.4 million residents live at one of America’s largest theme park resorts. The administrator was selected. The Oversight Committee took over the Disney World governing district after the De Saints coalition.
Gilzin previously served as a DeSantis appointee on the Florida Commission on Ethics and was president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League.
The county’s longtime elections supervisor, Bill Quiles, retired in January, about a year before his term expired. Cowles, a Democrat, was first elected to the job in 1996, which oversees elections in Orlando and surrounding communities.
Gilzin did not respond to an emailed inquiry.
Responding to an email, the district’s office of public information said “the transfer should be completed within a week,” without offering further details. As district administrator, Gulzin’s annual salary was $400,000. He will earn half as election supervisor.
In a joint statement, a group of federal and state Democratic lawmakers in the Orlando area, including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, said Gilzin’s appointment was the latest example of DeSantis appointing unqualified loyalists to elected office. “So he can control every part of us. State and local governments and our democracy fought his will.
“Glenn Gulzin is a Ron De Saints loyalist whose top priority seems to be pleasing Ron De Saints, not protecting the integrity of our elections,” the Democratic lawmaker said. “This move signals the governor’s focus on silencing the voices of the voters of Central Florida, one of our state’s northernmost progressive hotbeds.” We can’t let that happen.”
Gulzin’s new appointment comes at a time of turmoil for the district, which has seen the firing of veteran staff and several lawsuits since the takeover. The district provides municipal services such as firefighting, planning and mosquito control, among other things.
The battle between DeSantis and Disney began in 2022 when the company, facing significant internal and external pressure, publicly opposed a state law that critics called “Don’t Say Gay.” The 2022 law would ban classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary grades and was championed by DeSantis, who used Disney as a punching bag in speeches until he suspended his presidential campaign this year. .
As punishment, DeSantis took over the district through legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and appointed a new board of supervisors, appointing Gulzin as administrator.
Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees, claiming the company’s free speech rights were violated for speaking out against the legislation. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in January. Disney has appealed.
A separate lawsuit over who will take over the district is still pending in state court in Orlando.
In his new job, Gilzin will oversee the GOP presidential primary this month, the primary in August and the general election in November. He has no previous experience of participating in elections. Currently, five Democrats, one Republican and one independent have filed to run for supervisor of elections in Orange County later this year. Gilzin is not one of them.