DeSantis suspends Orlando commissioner Regina Hill days after arrest

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill today, days after she was arrested and indicted for alleged elder abuse and fraud. The suspension came less than two hours before she was set to join a City Council meeting.

DeSantis' office at 12:12 p.m. Monday issued an executive order formally suspending Hill from her role as City Commissioner for the city of Orlando. Hill has served as the representative of the Parramore neighborhood and other parts of west Orlando since 2013. The executive order was emailed to the media about 15 minutes ahead of the start of the council's 2 o'clock meeting.

"Regina I. Hill is prohibited from performing any official act, duty, or function of public office; from receiving any pay or allowance; and from being entitled to any of the emoluments or privileges of public office during the period of this suspension, which period shall be from today until a further Executive Order is issued or as otherwise provided by law," DeSantis' order reads, in part.

Under Florida law, DeSantis is authorized to suspend any elected municipal officer who is indicted or informed against for the commission of a state felony or misdemeanor, the order states. The governor may also suspend from office an elected municipal officer for "malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, habitual drunkenness, incompetence, or permanent inability to perform official duties."

According to the city charter, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has 10 days after a suspension to call a special election, which must occur within 45 days of being called.

During the city council's scheduled meeting Monday afternoon, Dyer said city staff will be working with the Supervisor of Elections office to schedule that special election for Tuesday, May 21.

City council plans to hold a special meeting to discuss the logistics of that process on Monday, April 8, Dyer added, with Hill absent from the dais.

Commissioner Hill, a Parramore native, was arrested last Thursday following a grand jury indictment on felony charges of elder exploitation, personal identification fraud and mortgage fraud. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been investigating Hill for over a year, and the investigation, per the agency, is still ongoing.

Hill pleaded not guilty last week to the seven felony charges she faces. The 58-year-old city commissioner was reportedly bailed out of Orange County Jail Thursday afternoon, the day of her arrest, on a $40,000 bond. If convicted of all charges, the FDLE has stated that she could face up to 180 years in prison.

Hill, who has an arrest record dating back decades, has been accused of exploiting a 96-year-old constituent and defrauding the elderly woman by spending over $100,000 of the elderly woman’s money for Hill's own personal benefit or best interest, using those funds for personal purchases such as vacations, home renovations for one of the victim's properties, a facelift, and expensive perfume. (The victim is described in court documents as having a cognitive disability and age-related infirmities, so we are not naming her for privacy reasons.)

The FDLE alleges that Hill also fraudulently obtained a second power of attorney to buy a home worth more than $400,0000 with the elderly victim as the co-signer. The victim allegedly told FDLE agents that this was done without her knowledge or consent. Hill has denied the allegations, and told Spectrum News 13 in a statement last week that she "loved and cared for" the elderly woman "like my own family."


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