By accepting the position of District Administrator for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Glen Gilzean, Jr. violated a rule of the Florida Commission on Ethics, for which he is the chairperson.
Administrator Gilzean May Need to Resign
According to the Tampa Bay Times, due to a state statute, Gilzean is not allowed to “hold any public employment” in his role as chairperson. Florida Bulldog reported on the potential conflict on Monday. Gilzean asked Steven Zuilkowski, attorney for the Florida Commission on Ethics, for an opinion on the matter. Zuilkowski reviewed Gilzean’s District Administrator contract and determined it counts as public employment and that “maintaining public employment is inconsistent” with the law.
“When viewed in its totality, the terms of the Agreement tend to confirm what the Agreement claims explicitly; that you are a District employee and, therefore, a public employee,” Zuilkowski stated.
Gilzean will likely have to resign from one of the two positions. He began as District Administrator in May with a salary of $400,000.
Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Gilzean to the Florida Commission on Ethics in 2019, then again in 2020 and in 2022. DeSantis also appointed Gilzean to the Re-Open Florida Task Force and the Florida Census Complete Count Committee.
The Governor did not directly choose Gilzean for the position of District Administrator (so far as we know), but did appoint all the members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors who hired Gilzean.
Gilzean replaced John Classe, who had been District Administrator since January 2016.
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