DeSantis Appoints Disney District Chief as Elections Supervisor Despite 7 Filed Candidates

If you keep up with The Walt Disney Company news, it’s likely that you’re familiar with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Obtained via Click Orlando Livestream

DeSantis has been active in restructuring Disney’s special district, self-appointing a new Board: the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board. He and his Board members seek to restructure Disney’s former Reedy Creek Improvement District, aiming to regain control of the area rather than allow Disney to self-govern. Now, with elections upon us, DeSantis has brought one of his Board members into the elections process in Orange County.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Governor DeSantis has appointed republican Glen Gilzean as Orange County elections supervisor. Gilzean is an administrator that oversees Disney World on DeSantis’s Board, and is former president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League.

Reedy Creek Building (now Central Florida Tourism Oversight District)

This role will last until the winner of the election takes office in January 2025. While the governor’s office has sent out a news release regarding Gilzean’s appointment as elections supervisor, Gilzean has made no comment. However, he did write in a Facebook post that Paula Hoisington (deputy district administrator) would take over his position on the Board during his “unavailability.”

Reedy Creek

Although seven other candidates filed to run for elections supervisor within Orange County (the fifth-largest county elections office in Florida), DeSantis appointed Gilzean.

©Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Sentinel said that State Representative Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, criticized the governor for his choice to appoint someone unqualified when there were numerous other candidates ready to do the job.

©Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

Eskamani said, “This is another DeSantis ally being appointed to a position that they are not qualified for. We are going to have to work incredibly hard in Orange County to ensure the integrity of our elections.”

Reedy Creek Building

Orlando Sentinel also reports that Orange is an overwhelmingly Democratic county, “won by 23 percentage points in 2020 by President Joe Biden and 7 points by Democratic candidate Charlie Crist in 2022 in what was otherwise a landslide for the Republican DeSantis.”