City of Orlando prepares for special election to fill vacant District 5 seat

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Supervisor of Elections said it is ready and waiting for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to start the process of a special election.

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Glen Gilzean, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, said Monday that he is ready for the agreed contract from the City Council on how they want the special election process to play out.

“We knew that once we saw the headline, this may be coming down the pipe, so we just started doing some preliminary work just to get a head of it,” said Gilzean.

The election will be in May. The purpose is to find a temporary predecessor to fill the seat of Commissioner Regina Hill until her criminal case is resolved.

Read: DeSantis suspends Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill from office, 4 days after her arrest

Hill who held her position since 2014, was arrested in March by FDLE for allegation of exploitation of a 96-year-old constituent.

A special election is when people vote to fill a job that is empty before the next big election. This can happen when someone quits or dies while in a public job.

For this special election, Gilzean said no moves can be made until a contract agreement with the city is made. He said, then they will identify and confirm 5 polling locations for voters and go over a budget cost, which right now is unknown.

Read: Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill arrested on elderly exploitation, fraud charges

Gilzean said like any special election, there’s a legal process that must be followed, like finding a polling location and waiting for the budget to see how much this election will cost the city.

“Once they call and sign that agreement, we’re hoping that will take place on Monday the 8th. My team will get ready to spring into action,” said Gilzean.

The city told Channel 9 that the focus is on ensuring the residents of District 5 are appropriately served and represented.

Read: Who is Regina Hill, the Orlando city commissioner who was arrested?

“We are working with the Supervisor of Elections and hope to be able to schedule a special election on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, to temporarily fill the District 5 City Commission seat until the criminal case involving Hill is resolved. The special election date will need to be approved by the Supervisor of Elections.” --The City of Orlando

Gilzean said all 21,000 voters in District Five should prepare themselves for the election by requesting their vote by mail ballot now.

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