Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Glenton “Glen” Gilzean has resigned from the Florida Comission on Ethics. This comes after a potential conflict of interest was discovered by media. This was followed be confirmation by a lawyer for the Comission on Ethics in Florida. With this move, Gilzean will continue in his role as the administrator for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. In this role he receives an annual salary of $400,000.
“The potential for a conflict between my position with the District and with my service on the Commission on Ethics did not come up at that time with any of the counsel that I consulted. Including the Commission’s General Counsel,” Gilzean wrote. “Regrettably, if I had been aware of any issue presented by serving in the two positions, I would have addressed it immediately.”
This may not be the whole story, however. The general counsel for the Commission on Ethics, Steven Zuilkowski, shared in a memo that Ethics Director Kerrie Stillman spoke with Gilzean about the issue on April 26. “During that conference call, Ms. Stillman informed you of the requirement … and you informed us that you had received legal advice elsewhere about holding both positions,” Zuilkowski wrote. “You stated you would contact me if you wanted my legal opinion.”
In his resignation letter, Gilzean said that Zuilkowski’s memo was a “mischaracterization.”
“The Commission General Counsel … decided in the memorandum, unnecessarily, to disclose and mischaracterize previous communications I had with him while seeking legal advice relating to my service on the Commission on Ethics,” Gilzean wrote.
Leading up to his resignation, Gilzean first fought back and accused Zuilkowski and Stillman of weaponizing the memo. “[I]t is deeply inappropriate that your legal opinion was disseminated to the press at the same time you sent it to me,” Gilzean wrote in the email to the commission’s general counsel and ethics director. “As far as I’m concerned, someone on your staff knowingly leaked this memo and weaponized it, how did this happen?”
Zuilokski disagreed that his office had done anything wrong. Whatever happened, the result is that Glenton “Glen” Gilzean ended up resigning from the Florida Commission on Ethics and now remains solely the administrator for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The Discovery
The issue was first discovered by the Florida Bulldog. The Florida Bulldog reached out to ethics commissioners who apparently did not realize about the rule restricting public employment. When Commissioner Jim Waldman was told about the rule, he responded that Gilzean’s public employment “does appear to be a conflict under the rules of the commission.” Steven Zuilkowski now has validated this opinion.
The Backstory
Gilzean was hired by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District as there continues to be a feud between The Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis about the district. In the role as administrator, Gilzean receives an annual salary of $400,000. Formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Governor DeSantis began a crusade to have it dissolved after Disney came out against a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law in 2022. Since then, Governor DeSantis has attacked what he calls “woke Disney” and accused it of sexulizing children and has said multiple times that “there is a new sheriff in town” regarding the situation. More recently Governor DeSantis has reframed the argument as one about the self government of Disney in the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. This comes after Disney sued Governor DeSantis and other Florida leaders.
Gilzean was appointed to the Commission on Ethics by Governor DeSantis in 2019. His current term is set to expire in June 2024. He was elected by fellow ethics commission members to the role of Chair in January 2023. The Comission on Ethics website says the following:
The Florida Commission on Ethics is a nine-member Commission with a staff of approximately twenty-five employees located in Tallahassee, that serves as the guardian of the standards of conduct for officers and employees of Florida and its political subdivisions and functions as an independent commission responsible for investigating and issuing public reports on complaints of breach of the public trust by public officers and employees. The Commission also renders legally binding advisory opinions interpreting the ethics laws and implements the State’s financial disclosure laws.
Composition
The Commission members serve two-year terms. Five members are appointed by the Governor, with no more than three from the same political party. One member appointed by the Governor must be a former city or county official. Two members are appointed by the President of the Senate and two members by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Neither the President nor the Speaker may appoint more than one member from the same political party. No member may hold any public employment or serve more than two full terms in succession; however, a member may continue to serve after his or her term expires, until a replacement is appointed.
The Commission’s Functions and Responsibilities
The Commission, by majority vote, interprets and applies Florida’s ethics laws by acting on complaints, recommending penalties, and issuing legal opinions. Also, the Commission hires the Executive Director, recommends changes in the ethics laws to the Legislature, and adopts rules of procedure and an operating budget.
The Commission’s Staff
- The Legal Section drafts legal opinions, orders, rules, and proposed legislation for consideration by the Commission, represents the Commission in litigation, and responds to inquiries about the ethics laws.
- The Public Information Section provides information regarding Commission practices and procedures to the press, the public, and other states, and responds to inquiries about the Commission and the ethics laws.
- The Investigative Section investigates complaints of violations of the ethics laws and compiles narrative investigative reports.
- The Financial Disclosure Section handles and supervises the disclosure notification process, receives and maintains disclosure forms, enforces the timely filing of disclosure forms, and responds to inquiries about financial disclosure laws.
- The Administrative Section provides administrative and clerical support to the Commission and staff.
Glen Gilzean replaced John Classe who was the administrator of the Reedy Creek Improvement District for nearly a decade. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is currently a part of a lawsuit brought about by Disney against Governor DeSantis and other leaders in the state. The outcome of this lawsuit could determine the future of the district. The new district board and leaders are currently working on restructuring the district and changing the tax structure, much of this comes from suggestions by Gilzean.
Moving Forward
It appears that this issue is now closed for Gilzean, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and the Florida Commission on Ethics. While this issue is now over, controversy is now over for the district and Gilzean. With the multiple lawsuits that are currently in play that could impact the future of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and potentially Gilzean’s employment there. With both federal and state lawsuits, there are a lot of unknowns.
