Corrections officer arrested for using fraudulent handicap tag at Publix, Polk deputies say

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida Department of Corrections officer was arrested on Thursday for fraudulently using a handicap sticker while at a Publix, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 9:30 a.m., a Sheriff’s Service Officer was patrolling the parking lot of the Publix, located in Highlands City, when he discovered a vehicle parking in a handicapped spot in front of the store.

Juania Lilly, 51, told the officer that the placard was her mother’s, but when he ran the placard number, it pulled up a person who was not Lilly’s mom. The placard was expired and the date had been altered.

According to the sheriff’s office, the owner lost her disabled parking permit in April 2023.

Lilly told officials she got the placard from the owner, who she said left it in her car since she works part-time as a Lyft driver. Deputies said she mainly works at the Polk Correctional Institute, the state-run prison.

She then denied that she claimed the placard was her mom’s, the sheriff’s office said.

“It’s very disappointing when a public servant not only refuses to cooperate with a law enforcement investigation but outright lies,” Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said. “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.”

Lilly was arrested and charged with unlawful display of a disabled parking permit, unlawfully altering a motor vehicle registration, failure to deliver lost property, and giving false information to a law enforcement officer during a felony investigation.

The sheriff’s office said the Florida Department of Corrections has been notified of her arrest.

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