See who DeSantis has appointed as the new Orange County elections supervisor
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he has appointed Glen Gilzean as the new Orange County supervisor of elections.
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He fills the vacancy left by former elections supervisor Bill Cowles, who retired in January.
Gilzean previously served as the administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which was previously known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
He previously served as chairman of the Florida Commission on Ethics and the president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League.
Before that, Gilzean was vice president at Step Up For Students, an Jacksonville organization that grants scholarships.
He served on the Pinellas County School Board in 2012 and on the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Board of Trustees from 2013 until 2014.
Gilzean served as a regional field director for the Florida Department of Education from 2006 until 2009.
Read: Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles says he will not seek reelection
He received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and his master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Orange County Democratic Party Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago expressed concerns about Gilzean’s appointment.
“Mr. Gilzean’s record as a Republican party loyalist and as a close ally of Gov. DeSantis is what has led to his appointment as the Orange County Supervisor of Elections,” he said in a statement. “Having such a partisan figure administering the elections in such a Democratic county is more than deeply troubling. We look forward to electing a Democrat to this critical office in November.”
Read: DeSantis’ local visit touts Disney governing district’s progress
Vilchez Santiago said his party has established an Election Protection Committee headed 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 (House District) 35 special election,” he said.
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