Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Mayor Jackie Espinosa from office Oct. 30, after her arrest on grand theft and scheme to defraud charges over city COVID-19 relief grants.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa from office on Oct. 30. The order came nine days after her arrest on state charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud. The case centers on COVID-19 relief grants the city handed out through its Business Boost 2.0 program.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest in a news release from the Florida Department of Financial Services on Oct. 21.
An arrest or charge is an accusation. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court.
Updated Oct. 25: added the Florida Commission on Ethics’ Oct. 23 agenda item and the joint stipulation in the ethics case.
Updated Oct. 28: the Ethics Commission published its decision. It adopted the stipulation and will recommend a $2,000 civil penalty and public censure to the governor.
Updated Nov. 4: added Executive Order 26-226, the governor’s Oct. 30 order suspending Espinosa, which the governor’s office has now posted.
Suspended from office
The governor’s Executive Order 26-226 suspends Espinosa as “Mayor of the City of Kissimmee (Commissioner Seat 5),” effective immediately. DeSantis signed it Oct. 30.
The order cites the Florida Constitution, Article IV, Section 7(c), and Section 112.51 of the Florida Statutes. That law lets the governor suspend a city official arrested for a felony.
Under the order, Espinosa may not:
- perform any official act, duty or function of the office
- receive any pay or allowance
- claim any of the privileges of the office
The suspension lasts until the governor issues another order “or as otherwise provided by law,” the order said. It asks the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to help with the transition and to make sure no records or computers leave the mayor’s office.
The order does not name anyone to fill the seat. The city’s Nov. 3 City Commission agenda carried no item on the mayor’s seat.
The charges
The Office of the Statewide Prosecutor filed two charges, the release said:
- grand theft of $20,000 or more but less than $100,000, a second-degree felony
- scheme to defraud of $50,000 or more, a first-degree felony
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Office of Executive Investigations, with help from the Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division.
What the state says happened
The investigation began with a routine state audit of how local governments used grants and COVID-19 money, according to the release. The Department of Financial Services said Espinosa “may have used her official position as mayor” to improperly influence who received Business Boost 2.0 grants.
State investigators said seven businesses in properties owned or managed by members of Espinosa’s family received a combined $90,000:
- $50,000 went to Espinosa’s businesses
- $40,000 went to tenants in Espinosa’s buildings
“The mayor used her position to push a COVID relief grant program, then took $50,000 from it for her family’s businesses after being warned it was prohibited,” Uthmeier said in the release.
Ingoglia said Espinosa “abused that trust and cashed in at the taxpayers’ expense.”
None of those claims has been tested in court.
How the case got here
The arrest follows months of action on the same grants by the city and the state:
- Aug. 18: The City Commission voted 2-2 on a motion to accept articles of impeachment against the mayor, so the motion failed, according to the signed minutes of the special meeting. Special Prosecutor Mayanne Downs, appointed by the chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, presented the articles. Commissioners Janette Martinez and Angela Eady voted yes; Commissioners Carlos Alvarez III and Noel Ortiz voted no.
- Sept. 2: The Florida Commission on Ethics said it had found probable cause that Espinosa had a contractual relationship with an entity doing business with her agency, “when her business accepted grant money that was administered by her agency,” in its September 2026 news release. Probable cause is not a finding that a violation happened.
- Oct. 21: The criminal charges and arrest.
- Oct. 23: The Ethics Commission’s agenda for its Oct. 23 meeting listed final action on a joint stipulation in the ethics case.
- Oct. 28: The Ethics Commission published its decision in an Oct. 28 news release. It adopted the joint stipulation and found that Espinosa “had an employment or contractual relationship with an entity doing business with her agency when her business accepted grant money from the City.” The commission will recommend a $2,000 civil penalty and public censure and reprimand to the governor for imposition, the release said.
The stipulation is in the commission’s meeting materials. The commission received it Sept. 16. In it:
- Espinosa admitted violating Section 112.313(7)(a) of the Florida Statutes, by having a contractual relationship with an entity doing business with her agency
- the commission’s advocate recommended a $2,000 civil penalty and a public censure and reprimand
- both sides agreed Espinosa never voted to approve grants to her businesses, and that all City Commission votes on Boost 2.0 came before her businesses applied
The ethics case is civil. It is separate from the criminal charges.
The Department of Financial Services said it referred its findings to the FDLE, the Ethics Commission and the special prosecutor.
What it means for you
The mayor has been charged, not convicted, and suspended, not removed. A suspension under Section 112.51 is not a finding of guilt. Espinosa has not had a chance to answer the charges in court.
Vice Mayor Angela Eady chaired the Aug. 18 special meeting. The City Commission’s next regular meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at City Hall, 101 Church St., according to the city’s meeting calendar. Agendas are posted there before each meeting.
To find your commissioner or a city department, see our guide to who to call at City Hall. Our voting guide covers Osceola County elections.
We will update this story when the city, the state or the court publishes more. If you are named in our coverage and the outcome changes, see how to ask for a correction.
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