The race to be the interim District 5 commissioner in Orlando is heating up.

With the contest winnowed to Shaniqua “Shan” Rose and Travaris McCurdy, questions have surfaced surrounding Rose’s forced exit from a job at Orlando City Hall, along with others about McCurdy’s arrest history, which were highlighted in a mailer sent by a secretive group that may flout state election laws.

Ultimately voters will decide between the two in the coming weeks, with early voting starting Monday and Election Day on June 18.

The winner will take office soon after, representing a downtown and west Orlando district until the end of the term first won by suspended commissioner Regina Hill in 2025 or departing sooner if criminal charges against her are settled in her favor.

The initial seven-way race last month ended with Rose and McCurdy edging out the field for a spot in the runoff. Rose led the way with 24.8% of the vote, or 527 ballots, with McCurdy in 2nd with 23.3% or 495 ballots.

Since then, the two have come under further scrutiny.

Secretive ad targets McCurdy’s arrest record

An incendiary advertisement has circulated to voters throughout the district by mail, email and hand delivered by canvassers with a photo of McCurdy, along with his history of arrest for various offenses ranging from carrying a concealed weapon to petit theft and speeding.

What the advertisement doesn’t say — but a review of public available records and a statement from McCurdy indicate — is that he has no felony convictions for any of those crimes. The ad does say that McCurdy was once charged with “carrying a concealed weapon as a convicted felon,” an allegation that shows up in at least one online database, but the Orange County Clerk of Courts has no record of it.

“I am not a convicted felon. I made mistakes as a young and impressionable man many years ago, but I was never convicted of a felony,” McCurdy’s statement reads. “I have learned from my past and worked hard to get where I am today.”

The ad is credited to “Friends of District 5,” which isn’t registered with the Division of Corporations, the Orange County Supervisor of Elections or the Florida Division of Elections. It’s unclear who created it – a message to an email address associated with the group wasn’t acknowledged. Rose says her campaign has no connection to the ad.

Glenn Burhans, a Tallahassee-based elections attorney unaffiliated with the campaign, said under state law a group like this one doesn’t have to register until it makes an expenditure of at least $5,000. However, the advertisement doesn’t include an address for the organization responsible, so it doesn’t meet the state’s rules in that regard.

“The non-compliant disclaimer, the fact that the entity is not registered, raises some concerns,” he said. “But it’s possible they haven’t hit the registration threshold, so there may be no violation (of that rule). We simply don’t have enough information to know.”

One side of the ad lists various charges filed against McCurdy, dating back to the early 2000s – in recent years he’s only been hit with traffic and toll infractions – contending that his history runs afoul of his goals of reducing crime in the district.

The backside of the document dinged McCurdy for his “F- grade” from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. A failing grade from that group is often a point of pride for Democratic state legislators, which McCurdy previously was.

“Sadly, anonymous bad actors have launched illegal attacks against my campaign for City Commission,” he wrote on Facebook. “Why? Because they’re scared of our movement for safer streets, more affordable housing, and real solutions to Orlando’s greatest challenges.”

Rose was fired from her city job

Rose, whose experience at City Hall is a tenet of her campaign, was fired from her job as an administrative specialist in 2019 after her supervisors said she repeatedly sent misleading emails to city leaders and partners “in an authoritative manner” that should have been coming from her bosses. Rose had been instructed to stop doing so but persisted, records show.

Her termination was first reported by WKMG.

In an interview, Rose said she sent emails to various city departments trying to help the Parramore neighborhood and to cut through red tape.

City investigators said they also discovered false information on her resume about a prior job at a business called Brands and Roses Services “and that the false information provided is what had qualified you for your position.” Asked about the statement, Rose said “they wanted to find any reason to fire me.”

She filed a pair of grievances against the city through the SEIU union representing her, both of which were denied, records show, and pursued arbitration.

As part of a separation agreement with the city, Rose agreed to no longer pursue arbitration and to drop a discrimination charge against the city she filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission nine months prior to her termination. As part of the deal she was paid $18,326, or 120 days at her regular pay.

“Know that I fought while I was at the city…and I’ll fight as the next district commissioner,” she said in an interview.

rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com