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The Orange County supervisor of elections is defending his spending of millions of taxpayer dollars that county leaders accused of being inappropriate.
It all centers around scholarships for Valencia College that the supervisor set up for students at two Orlando high schools.
While the mayor says the leftover election funds used to create those scholarships should have been returned to the county, Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean says the program will get the county ready for future elections.
> RELATED: Orange County mayor questions use of taxpayer money in new elections supervisor scholarship fund
Gilzean addressed the public in a press conference on Tuesday morning, saying that his plan includes more than just scholarships. He defended his actions by emphasizing that if you get rid of any part of the plan, you have to get rid of all of it.
While Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and other county lawyers say it wasn’t appropriate for Gilzean to spend money on things not related to the election, Gilzean emphasized Tuesday that the contract for the scholarships would also open up six sites at Valencia College to be used for early voting.
According to Gilzean, if the scholarship goes away, so do those sites.
“I hope the incoming supervisor of elections will continue to keep the scholarships. One thing is certain. The next supervisor will need to expand early voting sites, and this contract sets the stage for success,” Gilzean said.
Valencia College has offered to give the money back if the county asks for it. A spokesman for the supervisor’s office said he believed this would invalidate the contract.
Gilzean also justified sending money to nonprofit groups to help increase voter turnout and vote-by-mail. He left the news conference without answering any questions.
This afternoon, Orange County commissioners will talk about how to get the millions of dollars back, and whether they need to sue the supervisor to stop him from spending more money before he leaves office.
> RELATED: Controversy over taxpayer-funded scholarship could result in restraining order, Orange County mayor says
On Tuesday afternoon, WESH 2 News confirmed three employees at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office were fired just before Thanksgiving, including the CFO.
Incoming supervisor Karen Castor Dentel says when she takes office next month, she will review the staffing needs.
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