Orlando's former District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill has filed a suit against her electoral rival, Shan Rose, and the city of Orlando Canvassing Board, a move aimed at challenging the legality of the recent city council election results. This course of action comes shortly after Rose claimed victory in the District 5 seat with a margin that placed her comfortably ahead of Hill. According to the report by ClickOrlando, Rose garnered 51.84% of the vote against Hill’s 32.71%.
The legal complaint by Hill, however, paints a different picture of the electoral process, one marred by illegalities such as vote buying and improper handling of absentee ballots. Specifically, Hill’s lawsuit alleges that an associate of Rose distributed flyers presenting free health tests and screenings alongside $45 Visa gift cards to sway voters, according to ClickOrlando. Notably, these flyers also incorporated a "Support Shan Rose" campaign ad at their lower edge.
Additionally, claims have surfaced regarding the alleged collection of vote-by-mail ballots by people linked to the Rose campaign at an elderly care facility, a practice commonly referred to as ballot harvesting. Hill points to one resident's declaration that, despite not casting a vote, records indicate a ballot had been filed in his name, as WESH reported.
Hill's lawsuit goes further to allege the existence of health testing and screenings valued between $2,500 to $3,500, purportedly offered to incentivize votes for Rose. This would constitute a clear violation of state law, which prohibits the trade of votes for material gain. In light of these allegations, Hill is seeking judicial intervention to either declare her the winner of the election, mandate a re-election, or render the previous contest invalid, as revealed by WESH.
