ORLANDO, Fla. — Voters in Orlando’s District 5 will spend much of the summer and early fall thinking about who to next elect without knowing if a leading candidate will actually be able to take her seat.
On Tuesday, a judge granted attorneys’ request to delay the trial for Regina Hill, which was scheduled to take place in May.
Hill is facing accusations that she exploited a 96-year-old woman with declining mental capacity, by spending $100,000 of the woman’s money on items like IV treatments and a facelift.
Hill and her attorneys argue much of the commissioner’s activity was approved by the woman, and the woman’s new power of attorney is exploiting her by forcing her to move out of her home.
The judge on Tuesday scheduled a hearing for mid-August, which means there would still be time to hold a trial before the November election.
Hill faces the person who is filling her seat during her suspension, Shan Rose.
Outside the courthouse Tuesday, Hill’s attorney promised she would be “vindicated,” and Hill chimed in to a follow-up saying it would happen before November.
It’s not clear what would happen if the trial is held after Election Day and the still-popular Hill emerges victorious. One possibility is for Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend Hill again, which would kick off another election to fill the seat in the interim.
Hill faces decades in prison if she’s convicted.
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