Embattled Regina Hill is outraised by opponent Shan Rose in Orlando’s District 5 race

Regina Hill, the suspended Orlando City Councilwoman awaiting her criminal trial, is floundering in terms of fundraising as she tries to reclaim her seat.

Hill’s opponent, Shaniqua “Shan” Rose, the victor of a June Special Election to take over Hill’s remaining term, raised about $21,000 during the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Hill appeared to raise just under $2,400 from April 1 to June 30, according to the itemized totals recorded in her second-quarter campaign finance report.

But that report also appears to include some errors, such as listing contributions and expenditures from July, even though the report is only supposed to cover activity through June 30.

She also lists a candidate loan under the contributions section, but it’s listed as “($2,020),” with parentheses usually indicating a loss.

Hill did not respond to messages for comment Friday regarding those and other discrepancies, and the Clerk’s Office said it has not yet processed the reports to alert candidates about whether they must file an amended campaign finance report to correct mistakes.

Hill and Rose are running against each other for District 5 in the nonpartisan Nov. 4 race.

In April 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Hill from her city office after she had been arrested on elderly exploitation and fraud charges.

Law enforcement officials accused Hill of taking advantage of a 96-year-old resident, drawing down $100,000 from her account for personal expenses and spending that money on a trip to Miami, vitamins, dental surgery, perfume and a facelift. 

The Orlando Sentinel reported that the name of the elderly woman appears on mortgage and property records alongside Hill’s name, noting that the woman had memory loss and was confused about the apparent deal.

“After Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill struggled to obtain a home loan, she used a document that bore signs of forgery to leverage an elderly constituent’s superior credit for a government-backed mortgage, investigative records show,” the Sentinel story said this year.

Meanwhile, Hill has denied the allegations of wrongdoing and maintained she is innocent.

“I expect the Commissioner to be fully vindicated,” her attorney said, according to the Sentinel. “She’s a champion of the people, she always has been.”

Hill’s trial is delayed until Aug. 13, the Orlando Sentinel reported this Spring.

The deadline to register for the Nov. 4 nonpartisan city races race is Oct. 6. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 23.