ORLANDO, Fla. — On December 31, thousands of people filed out of Camping World Stadium to go home after Texas scored a resounding victory over the Michigan Wolverines.
One of those people was Orlando Commissioner Shan Rose, whose efforts to make it home resulted in a phone call between herself and Chief of Police Eric Smith.
Body camera video from an OPD officer working traffic duty shows Rose’s car pulling up to a roadblock funneling people onto the 408 at Carter Street.
Rose did not want to go onto the highway and stopped her car at the entrance to the on-ramp. As Officer David Porter approached, she was already on the phone with Smith.
“I need you to move your vehicle, the road is blocked right there,” Porter is heard saying.
Rose did not oblige.
“I’m the commissioner,” she told him, as she complained to Smith about Porter’s tone. “I live in Parramore. You can’t tell me I can’t go home.”
The traffic funnel was part of the city’s plan to get people home as quickly and safely as possible. Porter called a supervisor, who explained to Rose that the plan was thought out by the city.
During the interaction, Rose announced she was the commissioner four times and said residents should have more input on the traffic plan. She said she planned to use her position to change the plan in the future.
Rose did not address her interaction with the city’s officers in a statement she sent to WFTV Thursday.
“Large-scale events at Camping World Stadium, which can attract over 100,000 attendees, have created challenges for nearby residents attempting to return home. We have heard these concerns,” she said. “The City is actively reviewing our event transportation and traffic management strategies to improve residential access and ensure Parramore and West Lakes residents can return home safely with minimal disruption.”
WFTV was told the officers handled the interaction appropriately. The agency declined to comment ahead of this story’s publication.
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