DeSantis names Disney World admin to run elections in Democratic Orange County

 DeSantis names Disney World admin to run elections in Democratic Orange County


ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has a brand new job for the person who has led Walt Disney World’s authorities since his allies took it over — elections supervisor in Orange County, lengthy one in every of Florida’s most dependable sources of Democratic votes.

Glen Gilzean was appointed Monday by the Republican governor to supervise the voting in Florida’s fifth largest county, the place greater than 1.4 million residents stay among the many largest theme park resorts within the U.S. Simply final Could, Gilzean was chosen to be administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Committee after DeSantis’ allies took over the Disney World governing district.

Gilzean beforehand served as a DeSantis appointee on the Florida Fee on Ethics and was president and CEO of Central Florida City League.

The county’s longtime elections supervisor Invoice Cowles retired in January, a couple of yr earlier than his time period was up. Cowles, a Democrat, was first elected in 1996 to the job, which oversees elections in Orlando and surrounding communities.

Neither Gilzean nor a spokesman for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District responded to e mail inquiries on Monday. Because the district’s administrator, Gilzean had an annual wage of $400,000. He’ll earn round half that as elections supervisor.

Gilzean’s new appointment comes at a time of turmoil for the district, which has seen an exodus of skilled staffers because the takeover and a number of litigation. The district supplies municipal providers comparable to firefighting, planning and mosquito management, amongst different issues.

A combat between DeSantis and Disney started in 2022 after the corporate, dealing with vital strain internally and externally, publicly opposed a state regulation which critics have referred to as “Don’t Say Homosexual.” The 2022 regulation bans classroom classes on sexual orientation and gender identification in early grades and was championed by DeSantis, who used Disney as a punching bag in speeches till he suspended his presidential marketing campaign this yr.

As punishment, DeSantis took over the district by laws handed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and appointed a brand new board of supervisors, which named Gilzean as administrator.

Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees, claiming the corporate’s free speech rights have been violated for talking out towards the laws. A federal choose dismissed that lawsuit in January. Disney has appealed.

A separate lawsuit over who controls the district continues to be pending in state courtroom in Orlando.

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Comply with Mike Schneider on X, previously often known as Twitter: @MikeSchneiderAP.



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