ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando’s most controversial commissioner is throwing her hat into the ring again, despite felony charges hanging over her head.
Regina Hill announced Wednesday she would run for her District 5 seat, posting a picture of herself signing the paperwork at Orlando City Hall to her Facebook page.
She said she decided to run again at the request of community members.
“It is official, thank you all for your unwavering support and I look forward to continuing the transformative work that has been started and the divine purpose that God has entrusted me to fulfill!” she said.
Hill climbed to her seat after years of community activism and was known for fiercely advocating for her neighborhoods, which earned her iron-clad support.
However, she fell from power over accusations that she exploited a 96-year-old constituent with dementia. Prosecutors say she spent $100,000 of the woman’s money on things like a facelift, IV treatments, and luxury vacations.
They say she used the woman’s credit to obtain loans to purchase and renovate a house and lived in a different one of the woman’s houses without the woman’s knowledge.
Hill was evicted shortly before her arrest, and she was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis minutes before the subsequent city commission meeting after already having sat down.
Shan Rose, who had previously lost to Hill, won an election to fill the District 5 seat as the legal case played out. She, too, has filed to run for re-election.
If Hill’s trial is pushed back until after November and she manages to pull off another victory, it’s not clear she’ll be allowed to resume her spot. DeSantis could use his power to suspend her again, citing the ongoing court case.
If Hill is convicted, she faces decades in prison.
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