Regina Hill believed voters in Orlando’s District 5, who had elected her to the City Council three times before, would look past pending felony charges and once again return her to office. But Tuesday, those voters dealt her a resounding defeat and gave Shan Rose a full four years on the job.

The election marked the end of a tumultuous 18-month saga that started with Hill’s indictment and removal from office. It continued with Rose prevailing over six other candidates in a special election to replace Hill, and culminated with Rose’s victory this week, which will wipe the word “interim” from her job title.

This election could also mark the end of Hill’s political career, with a trial looming and her grip on her district clearly weakened.

“You know, every moment I was being called a criminal, a thief or abuser cycle, that was for almost two years, I’ve been identified as the person that harmed people and it’s called conditioning,” Hill said Tuesday night. “But I think after the narrative that has been spent about me as abuser, a thief or liar or fraud, I think I did pretty good.”

Rose won about 52% of the vote to Hill’s 33%, narrowly avoiding a runoff by securing more than 50% of the vote. Activist Lawanna Gelzer took in about 15%.

Hill received the news of her outright defeat amid the pounding bass at her election night party at the Obsidian cocktail lounge in downtown Orlando. She told a group of her supporters that the cloud of felony charges created “a hard hill to climb.”

She was indicted last March on seven counts related to elder abuse and fraud, following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Investigators said she took advantage of an elderly constituent, draining her bank accounts of more than $100,000 on expenses to benefit herself including hotel rooms and vitamin injections. She also obtained a fraudulent mortgage under the woman’s name to purchase a home.

Following the indictment, Hill was suspended from office by Governor Ron DeSantis.

All along, Hill has maintained her innocence. She said she believed voters backed her work as a city commissioner and would ultimately return her to office.

The charges haven’t yet gone to trial, and a date hasn’t been set. It’s unclear if DeSantis would have allowed her to take office had she prevailed, as his office didn’t answer questions about the situation from the Orlando Sentinel ahead of the election.

In her speech Tuesday, Hill told supporters that her work wasn’t done and she believed the criminal case would be resolved in her favor.

“You don’t need a title to do the work,” she said. “I know one day real soon the papers will say ‘all charges dropped.’”

Tim Ayers, the executive director of the West Lakes Partnership and former president of Orange County’s Democratic Black Caucus, said he thought Hill’s criminal charges were tough for some voters to overlook.

“It certainly played a role in the mind of some voters. I would hear it in private conversations,” he said.

Rose, he said, had demonstrated that she was open to new ideas while serving as interim commissioner, which helped her cause.

He said the race grew to be “too intense” and believed the district could now unify with the election behind it.

“Everyone’s given grace after they win a race,” he said. “I just think people right now are bitter that their candidate didn’t win.”

In a message posted to her Facebook page, Rose called for unity after a knock-down-drag-out campaign.

“I would hope that there would be peace and unity for the better of District 5,” Rose said in an interview Wednesday. “I’ve provided an open door for the entire district. I don’t serve just one neighborhood; I serve all from downtown to MetroWest.”

Staff writer Silas Morgan contributed to this report.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/05/felony-charges-a-tough-hill-to-climb-as-regina-hills-political-comeback-fails-short/