Orlando City Commissioner Shan Rose is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement following claims of alleged misconduct by Orlando police.
The probe is the latest episode in an ongoing feud that culminated in a New Year’s Eve altercation between Rose and a police officer directing traffic following the Citrus Bowl.
The FDLE investigation, first reported by WFTV, supposedly involves Rose’s former police liaison alleging misconduct while on the campaign trail last year, though specifics have not been disclosed. The investigation was supposedly initiated by the Orlando Police Department and later turned over to state authorities.
In November, Rose, who became the District 5 commissioner in a special election following the arrest of her predecessor Regina Hill, trounced the former commissioner in her bid to retake the seat.
The Orlando Sentinel has not been able to independently confirm the probe against Rose nor verify the accusations against her. An OPD spokesperson declined to comment, instead referring questions to FDLE, which did not respond to a message seeking clarity about the investigation. A message sent to Rose’s office have also not been returned.
Body-worn camera of the Citrus Bowl incident showed Rose was frustrated by a roadblock diverting traffic from Camping World Stadium onto eastbound State Road 408, which Rose said impeded her from heading to her home in Parramore. The video appears to show her on the phone with police Chief Eric Smith, who was on speakerphone when she told the officer she’s allowed to drive home without having to get on a toll road to do so.
“Y’all impeding traffic, you’re not even allowing me to go straight,” Rose said. The officer replied, “Nobody is going that way, ma’am.”
The incident resulted in a ticket for impeding traffic, for which she was ordered to pay $197 after pleading no contest in Orange County court on Monday.
Tensions, however, appeared to have been rising long before that. Emails and text messages uncovered by WESH showed Rose accusing OPD of harassment for more than a year. Following the New Year’s Eve incident, she threatened to hold a press conference if she was given a ticket, the TV station reported.
The ticket was filed in court on Jan. 10. The press conference she threatened never took place.