News and Investigations

Juania Lilly, 51, a Florida Department of Corrections officer, was arrested following an investigation into using a fraudulent handicapped placard at the Publix in Highlands City on Thursday.

On July 11th at approximately 9:30 AM, a Sheriff’s Service Officer (SSO) for the Polk County Sheriff's Office was conducting parking enforcement duties when he discovered Juania Lilly’s car parked in a disabled/handicap parking space in front of Publix. He asked Lilly if the placard was hers, and she claimed it was her mother’s. The SSO ran the placard number, and the information came back to a person who is not Lilly’s mother. The owner of the placard stated she had lost it in April of 2023. He also observed that the placard was expired, but the date had been altered to make it look valid.

A Deputy Sheriff was called in to assist in the investigation, who interviewed Lilly – she told the deputy that she had obtained the placard because the original owner left it in Lilly’s car and that she (Lilly) works as a part-time Lyft driver in addition to working at the Polk Correctional Institute, a state-run prison in Polk County. She denied telling the SSO that the placard belonged to her mother.

Juania Lilly was arrested and charged with:
• Unlawful Display of a Disabled Parking Permit (M2)
• Unlawfully Altering a Motor Vehicle Registration (F3)
• Failure to Deliver Lost Property (M2)
• False Information to a LEO during a Felony Investigation (M1)

“It’s very disappointing when a public servant not only refuses to cooperate with a law enforcement investigation, but outright lies. She also committed a felony when she decided to alter and use someone else’s handicapped placard. Now she’s going to be held accountable for her crimes.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff 

Staff at the Florida Department of Corrections were notified of the arrest.