ORLANDO, Fla. – CareerSource Central Florida returned $1.9 million to the Orange County government Thursday, ending a deal the agency made with the county supervisor of elections that has sparked a fight between the elections office and the county commission over surplus budget money.
Meanwhile, Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean defended the deal by releasing a legal memo he says shows he had a right to spend the money.
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Gilzean came under fire earlier last week after it was revealed he signed two contracts before the end of the budget year, giving out $4 million.
The $1.9 million deal with CareerSource Central Florida was to retrain temporary election employees, among other things, as long as CareerSource incorporated voter outreach into those programs.
Gilzean also signed a contract with Valencia College to establish a $2.1 million scholarship for students from Jones and Evans high schools pursuing a cybersecurity program that was also supposed to boost youth civic engagement.
Gilzean’s office says the $4 million came from cost savings in contract services and postage and messenger services that were originally budgeted for the presidential preference primary but not needed.
According to the legal memo Gilzean released Friday, his office cited a 2022 Florida Supreme Court case, Alachua County v. Watson, saying that while the county must approve “object level” budget items for constitutional officers, it does not have the authority to tell Gilzean how to spend money allotted in each category at the “subobject level.”
According to state law, Constitutional officers like elections supervisors and sheriffs have some autonomy over their own offices, including their budgets.
Earlier this week, the county commission directed its attorneys to look for options to get the money back, including legal action if necessary. County attorneys disagreed with Gilzean’s assertions.
“The litigators in our section are champing at the bit to go forward with this one,” said county attorney Jeffrey Newton.
Commissioners, meanwhile, complained about Gilzean having so much money left over in the budget when voters dealt with long lines at almost every early voting polling place in the county for the November election, and election workers complained about a lack of resources.
Valencia College officials have said they will return the money if the county asked, but Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said it was not the county’s place to ask.
In a statement, CareerSource said that, after consulting legal council, its executive committee voted to terminate the funding agreement and turn the money over to the Orange County comptroller, who is adding the money to the county’s general fund.
“CareerSource Central Florida is grateful for community partners who contribute to the mission of helping residents explore and obtain meaningful careers. CareerSource Central Florida is always willing and eager to expand the ways it serves our youth and career-seekers in Central Florida,” said Pamela Nabors, president and CEO of CareerSource, in a letter to Gilzean.
Gilzean issued a statement to News 6 Friday:
“It’s not surprising, (Mayor Demings) is the chairman of the CareerSource board,” Gilzean said.
Demings is the chairman of The Consortium, the five Central Florida county lawmakers who sit on the CareerSource board of directors.
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