ORLANDO, Fla. – A complaint leveled against Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill is now in the hands of the office of the state attorney, while the City of Orlando confirms Hill is eligible to run for re-election.
The complaint alleges Hill lives in a low-income apartment complex even though she makes more than $60,000 per year as a commissioner.
The complaint was filed by the family of one of Hill's political rivals just days before Tuesday's election.
Lawanna Gelzer told News 6 this isn't about politics, though.
She said she's concerned Orlando residents are not only paying Hill's salary, they appear to be paying part of her rent, as well.
The complaint, filed with support documents, shows Hill's address listed on the documents she filled out to run for re-election in District 5.
She lists Timberleaf Boulevard, which is located inside the Landing at Timberleaf Apartments, which has 240 units for low-income families.
According to the complex's owner, the most a resident can make in order to qualify to live there is $39,000 per year, and that is for a four-bedroom apartment.
Gelzer's complaint includes a copy of the lease Hill submitted as part of her election paperwork, where it shows she pays $644 per month for rent, but her name doesn't appear anywhere on the lease.
Instead, the lease is accompanied by a notarized letter from another woman, which reads, "Hill has resided with me since December of 2015 after her daughter's death."
News 6 called Hill on Thursday night to ask her if she could help add this up.
She called the allegations a "smear campaign."
"I am working for the residents of Orlando, and that's all I have to say about this," she said.
On Monday, City of Orlando spokeswoman Cassandra Lafser told News 6 Hill met the qualifications to appear on the ballot per city code.
That code indicates each candidate needs to be "a resident and registered elector of that district... for at least one year prior to qualifying."
Although Hill supplied a year's worth of electric bills in her name, Gelzer questions whether Hill should have been living in the apartment in the first place.
News 6 is waiting for answers from the Florida Housing Finance Corp. on whether any rules were broken.
News 6 found out this is the second complaint filed against Hill in the last month.
The first one was filed by a mother who claimed Hill broke confidentiality when talking about her children, who were enrolled in the Parramore Kidz Zone.
The representative from the office of the state attorney didn't know how long it would take to complete the investigations.
