Bill Cowles, former SOE Orange County

Bill Cowles retired as the Orange County, FL Supervisor of Elections, on January 31, 2024. His career as Supervisor of Elections first started as the Chief Deputy in 1989, for 7 years, and then elected 7 times as the Supervisor of Elections for a total of 34 years of service. During those 34 years, Bill conducted 103 elections, including the first countywide Mail Ballot Election. Bill was responsible for the fifth-largest county elections office in Florida.

Among his proudest accomplishments are the Voter Registration Helpline created in 1999 in partnership with local TV news outlets and his legacy project, Adopt-A-Precinct (AAP) beginning in 1998. The Adopt-A-Precinct program is a community partnership that allows organizations to serve their community, fundraise, and participate in the elections process. When he retired, almost 50% of the precincts in Orange County had been “adopted”.

Bill was actively involved in election professional associations such as: Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE), served as president; Elections Center, completing the certification program CERA, receiving the “Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the “Elections Hall of Fame”; and the International Association of Government Officials, served as president. He also served several years on the Federal Elections Assistance Commission Board of Advisors.

Bill is a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Public Administration and currently serves as a member of the UCF School of Public Administration Advisory Board. Bill is proud of his UCF Knights.

After graduating from UCF, Bill’s first career was with the Boys Scouts of America where he served for 13 years. Bill is an Eagle Scout and remains involved with scouting as a board member of the Central Florida Council.

Now that Bill is retired, he has moved near the beach in Brevard County with his wife Cheryl and beloved mini labradoodle, Gus. His favorite past time is walking on the beach, bicycling, and spending time with his grandsons.

Karen Castor Dentel, Orange County Elections Supervisor

Dr. Karen Castor Dentel was elected Orange County Supervisor of Elections on Nov. 5, 2024. A lifelong Floridian and dedicated public servant, she has spent over 25 years serving Orange County as a public school teacher, state legislator and school board member.

She represented her community in the Florida House of Representatives (2012-2014) and on the Orange County School Board (2018-2024).

Born into a family deeply committed to public service, Karen followed in the footsteps of her parents—her mother, a former state Commissioner of Education, and her father, a county court Judge. Her siblings also serve as county court judge and U.S. congressional representative.

“Community service is part of my DNA,” Castor Dentel said. “I’m ready to get to work running safe and secure elections, increasing voter participation, and maintaining a nationally recognized elections office.”

In addition to her elected roles, Karen has volunteered with organizations like Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, the Junior League and the League of Women Voters.

She holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Florida.

Ricardo Negron-Almodovar



Ricardo was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to Orlando in 2015.

He has more than 10 years of experience working in the Florida nonprofit sector.

He currently serves as the Florida Senior Campaign Manager for All Voting is Local, a multistate, nonpartisan voting rights organization.

He is also the co-founder of Del Ambiente, an organization that promotes holistic development of Spanish-speaking LGBTQIA+ communities in Florida.

Jason Garcia, Investigative Reporter, Newsletter Author and Podcaster

Jason Garcia is one of Florida’s leading investigative journalists and the publisher of "Seeking Rents", an independent newsletter and podcast about state politics that is followed closely by elected officials, government officials, journalists and activists from Miami to Tallahassee. Garcia’s reporting explores the ways in which big businesses and other special interests are influencing public policy in the nation’s third-largest state.

“Rent-seeking" is a term in economics that describes when a corporation uses its political influence to turn tax laws and public policy in its favor.

He previously worked for the Orlando Sentinel, where he wrote an award-winning series on corporate-tax avoidance and led a yearlong investigation into a “ghost candidate” election scandal that exposed the roles of consultants for Florida Power & Light, Florida Crystals and Mosaic in political schemes around the state.

The winner of multiple state and national awards, Garcia is the author of “Big Profits, Tiny Taxes,” which exposed how corporations dodge taxes.

Prior to that, he was an associate editor for Florida Trend, covering state politics and business for the business-news publication.

Garcia is originally from Guelph, Ontario. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.