Orlando city commissioner Regina Hill's decade-long political career is in jeopardy after being indicted and subsequently suspended for allegedly spending a 96-year-old woman's money on surgeries, hotels and other high-cost personal expenses.
Hill will have her day in court, but for now, her profile has been removed from the city of Orlando's site and she's not the acting commissioner, according to an executive order issued Monday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-63, suspending City Commissioner for the City of Orlando, Regina Hill, in accordance with the Florida Constitution and sections 112.51(1) and 112.51(2), Florida Statutes," a news release from the governor's office said.
Although facing seven felony charges, Hill, 58, said she knows "the truth" and is "entitled to due process," WESH reported.
Hill began representing District 5 at age 48 after assuming office in 2014, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
“I believe, as I had been saying all along, that people were ready for change,” Hill said after winning the general election, according to the outlet. “They connected with me because I connected with them."
Hill would then run for reelection in 2021, which she also won.
"Thank you District 5 for continually putting your trust in me to serve you on the Orlando City Council," Hill said Nov. 6, 2021, in a Facebook post after securing the general election win. "I look forward to creating more partnerships that continue to benefit our community. It has been my honor to serve you, and I look forward to another four years where I can continue doing so."
Depending on the outcome of her criminal case, Hill's current term would end Jan. 12, 2026.
"After 10 years of service for the city of Orlando, I've Illustrated my love and compassion for my constituents, my city and my family," Hill said in a statement after her indictment, according to the WESH.
Hill, who grew up and attended public school in Orlando, served in the U.S. Navy, according to her now-deleted biography on the city of Orlando's site.
After the Navy, Hill worked as a nurse for 25 years, her biography said.
Hill was indicted last week and charged with three counts of exploitation of the elderly, two counts of fraudulent use of personal identification, one count of mortgage fraud and one count of scheming to defraud over $50,000.
The charges stem from Hill meeting with the 96-year-old woman in March 2021, taking power of attorney over her a month later and allegedly exploiting her financially for about three years, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Hill is accused of spending the woman's money on "expensive bottles of perfume," clothing, "numerous intravenous infusions of vitamins," a facelift, a New Year's Eve hotel stay in Miami, dental surgery and car insurance payments for her vehicles, according to an affidavit filed by an FDLE special agent.
The commissioner also allegedly obtained a second power of attorney to purchase a residence with the 96-year-old woman as the co-signor without her knowledge or consent, for more than $400,000, the FDLE said.
“The public’s trust in its leaders is essential. Officials who commit crimes against those they represent will be investigated and held accountable,” FDLE Orlando Special Agent in Charge John Vecchio said on March 28 in the agency's news release.
