ORLANDO, Fla. – The city of Orlando will hold a special election next month to fill the seat of suspended Commissioner Regina Hill, who was arrested last month.
The special election will take place Tuesday, May 21, and the winner will fill the District 5 seat until Hill’s case is resolved or the term ends.
The city on Monday released information about the special election.
QUALIFYING:
District 5 residents interested in running for Interim City Commissioner can find information at orlando.gov/election or email the City Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@orlando.gov.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- April 8, 2024, beginning at noon – Candidates may begin filing initial paperwork, including the Notice of Intent to Collect Petitions with the City Clerk’s Office (627 Verified Petitions)
- April 16, 2024, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Qualifying Period
- May 13, 2024 – Early voting begins
- Tuesday, May 21, 2024 – Election Day
IF RUN-OFF ELECTION NEEDED:
- June 10, 2024 – Early voting begins
- June 18, 2024 – Run-Off Election Day
The Orlando City Council met Monday to discuss the date of the special election, days after Hill, 58, appeared in court to face a judge in a civil lawsuit against her. She was arrested March 28 on several charges, including exploitation of the elderly/disabled. She is accused of exploiting a 96-year-old woman and taking more than $100,000 from her, according to an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“I think it needs someone that will bring some stability to the seat,” Dyer told News 6 on Monday. “Obviously there’s a lot of things, conflict going on I suppose, I think we’ll get some good candidates.”
Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean also said that people who want to vote by mail in the election need to request a ballot as soon as possible. We explain how to do that HERE.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended her on April 1, shortly before Orlando’s city commissioners were set to meet for the first time since her arrest.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said during that April 1 meeting that because Hill was suspended, there would be a special election to fill the seat and ensure “the residents of District 5 are appropriately served and represented.”
After Hill’s arrest on March 28, investigators with the FDLE said she had fraudulently established a power of attorney over a 96-year-old woman and spent her money on such things as perfume, clothing, vitamins, a facelift, a trip to Miami, dental surgery and car insurance, even securing a mortgage for a home in the Lake Mann Estates area of Orlando without the woman’s knowledge.
Before her arrest, Hill had filed a motion and requested that the judge toss the injunction, claiming the 96-year-old is in no condition to change her power of attorney. Hill also claimed she was trying to help the woman.
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