Gilzean inks no-bid deal with close friend to represent Orange elections office

Facing a lawsuit that threatened an expensive redesign of ballots for the upcoming election, Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean turned to a close friend to represent his office in court.

The supervisor, appointed to the post by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, inked a no-bid deal with Michael Sasso, a Winter Park attorney, to represent the office in a case that could open next month’s Democratic primary to all voters.

Sasso previously was a governor’s appointee to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, and was a member of the board when it hired Gilzean. Prior to Sasso’s appointment, he listed Gilzean as a reference in a questionnaire he sent to the Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. He also was the best man in Gilzean’s wedding.

Christopher Heath, a spokesperson for the Supervisor of Elections office, said Sasso was hired due to his experience litigating cases similar to the fast-moving legal action regarding the Democratic primary that had landed in front of Chief Judge Lisa Munyon.

In a written statement, Gilzean said Sasso’s representation has been effective.

“The litigation was filed as an emergency lawsuit asking a court to put a halt to the printing and distribution of ballots in the August 20th Primary Election,” Gilzean said. “My primary concern was to avoid disruption to the election process and preserve public confidence in the results. Our legal team did that by forcing the Plaintiff to abandon that demand. It saved the taxpayers approximately $250,000.”

The contract wasn’t put out for competitive bidding – though it wasn’t required to by the office’s policies.

The suit was filed by Dan Helm, a Democrat running for elections supervisor, against Cynthia Harris, a candidate with no party affiliation. Helm alleged Harris should be booted from the ballot for improperly paying her filing fee.

While Helm lost his bid for a preliminary injunction, Munyon did set a trial in the case for shortly before the election. If Helm prevails in that proceeding, that would leave only Democrats in the race and create a universal primary, where all Orange County voters can cast a ballot.

In court, Sasso said he and Helm had agreed that Helm would then seek to move the race to the November ballot, rather than force a last-second redesign of all Orange County ballots.

“Every Democrat, Republican, and Non-Party Affiliation ballot for the August 20, 2024 Primary Election would need to be modified to include a new Universal Primary Contest,” Sasso wrote in a court filing. “That is not possible.”

Sasso’s contract states the law firm would be paid $450 per hour for partners, $350 hour for associates and $200 for paralegals. There is no accounting of the amount spent to date.

While the contract opens the door to using Sasso in other assignments, Heath said the intention of the deal was for the attorney to represent the office in the Helm suit, as well as any potential appeals that could come from the trial scheduled for Aug. 13. Sasso didn’t respond to emailed questions.

It’s common for elections supervisors to be sued, especially in election years.

Under prior Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles, who retired in January, the office likely would have been represented by Nick Shannin, who served as general counsel for about 12 years.

Shannin remains under contract with the office. However, Gilzean hired Ebony Cobb to serve both as his chief of staff and general counsel. Shannin said he is still often called upon to advise the office on election law and procedures.

He said Sasso was qualified to handle the assignment.

“I don’t second guess at all his decision to bring in an additional attorney,” Shannin said.

rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com