After receiving numerous tips from within City Hall, the West Orlando News learned that Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill was arrested out-of-state last year for public intoxication and disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace, a previously unknown and unreported arrest.
According to law enforcement records, about 24 hours after Commissioner Hill’s 2022 Juneteenth celebration in Orlando ended, the City Commissioner was in a Birmingham jail, where she would sit for almost six hours waiting to sober up and to be released on bond.
On June 19, 2022, the Birmingham Police Department arrested City Commissioner Regina Hill with a booking time around 5:22pm. The City of Orlando Juneteenth celebration, hosted by Hill and Mayor Buddy Dyer, ended at 5pm the day before. The misdemeanor arrest in Alabama apparently carried a $300 bond for public intoxication and $500 bond for disorderly conduct/disturbing peace, based on information posted by law enforcement. Commissioner Hill’s mug shot was taken at 9:50pm and she was eventually released from jail shortly after 11pm.
In addition to being another embarrassment for the elected Democrat and for the City of Orlando, there could be major implications from this previously unknown and unreported arrest.
UPDATE: Orlando Commissioner Used Tax Dollars When Arrested, Intoxicated Out-of-State
“This is why leadership and integrity matters,” said longtime community advocate Lawanna Gelzer. “If you choose to be a public servant, and you choose to represent the community, honesty and transparency are important parts of being an elected official. What else is being hidden from the community? Can our community really trust City of Orlando elected officials?”
Public intoxication and habitual drunkenness are grounds for removal of a public official in the state of Florida, according to statutes.
Some sources at Orlando City Hall also expressed concern about Mayor Dyer’s knowledge of the arrest. West Orlando News reached out for comment from Mayor Buddy Dyer, who is also a Democrat and currently running for re-election, but Dyer did not respond before publication. Dyer has been a political ally of Regina Hill and endorsed her in previous elections. Some in City Hall think Mayor Dyer has been protecting her in order to control and use her vote on the City Council.
The City of Orlando did not respond to questions about when Mayor Dyer knew about Commissioner Hill’s arrest and did issue a response to this kind of unacceptable behavior from an Orlando elected official. Mayor Dyer declined to state if he supports the removal of Commissioner Hill or if he stands by the District 5 Commissioner. A city spokesperson claimed she was not aware of Hill’s arrest, stating she started with the city a month after the incident.
There was also no response from Commissioner Hill when her office was asked about her latest arrest incident at the time of publication.
Commissioner Hill also has a lengthy criminal history including more than 20 arrests before being elected to the Orlando City Council. After being elected, the troubles continued for the City Commissioner. In 2015, guns and drugs were recovered during a raid on a home she owned and her son was arrested for trafficking meth and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and another son was also arrested. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said at the time it had been conducting surveillance on Commissioner Hill’s home for months following reports of illegal drug activity. That property was also the basis of other legal problems for Hill.
In 2017, Commissioner Hill appeared intoxicated while recording herself on social media (video here), raising more serious red flags. Another bombshell complaint filed with the State Attorney in 2017 alleged affordable housing fraud by Commissioner Hill, which could have also been election fraud since Mayor Dyer’s City Clerk allowed Hill to qualify for office using a lease and power bills without her name on them to prove residency. In addition to many complaints about her behavior and possible intoxication in public, there are also numerous complaints about Commissioner Hill harvesting absentee and vote-by-mail ballots in Orlando elections, just like Mayor Dyer does.
Of course, it’s hard to forget when Orlando firefighter and local hero Joshua Granada was reinstated with back pay after he was wrongfully terminated for recording audio of Commissioner Regina Hill. At the time, local firefighters were called to the Penthouse Suite of the DoubleTree Hotel where Commissioner Hill was found unresponsive surrounded by liquor bottles and cigarettes. Reports were that Commissioner Hill became very combative and verbally abusive once she was revived.
A press conference led by Gelzer has been announced at City Hall on Wednesday, September 13th, where more questions will be raised about Commissioner Hill’s latest arrest and further actions will be announced.
If you have tips, concerns, or things the public should know regarding Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando City Commissioners, or City Hall, please contact West Orlando News – we do not name our sources unless they want to go public, but we will investigate Orlando City Hall.
Typical DEMORAT .
Leave the woman alone. Living and dealing with the city is enough to make anyone depressed. She has fought from sleeping on the steps of city hall to stepping up for civil rights. Seems like people of color are being attacked since they fired Monique. Everybody has secrets things of sensitive nature should be covered up or treated sensitive. She will get the help she needs I pray and be left to do it prestigiously private. Politics as usual.