Jackie Espinosa, the mayor of Kissimmee, a city in Osceola County, Florida, was arrested on charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, after state authorities found that she diverted funds from a COVID aid program to businesses linked to her family.
The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, and the state’s Director of Finance, Blaise Ingoglia, announced the charges at a press conference in Orlando, alongside the commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Larry Keefe.
According to the official statement, a routine audit by the Department of Financial Services found that Espinosa allegedly used her position to influence the awarding of grants from the Business Boost 2.0 program, which was designed with federal funds to assist small businesses affected by the pandemic.
Seven businesses located on properties owned by her family received a total of $90,000: $50,000 went directly to the mayor's own companies and $40,000 to tenants of her buildings.
The authorities also indicate that Espinosa submitted three applications on the very day the program opened its doors, in September 2025, despite being warned that her participation was prohibited.
"Public officials cannot write the rules and then issue themselves a check," Uthmeier stated. "The mayor used her position to promote a COVID grant program and then took $50,000 from it for her family's businesses, after being warned that it was prohibited. Florida taxpayers funded that money to help small businesses recover, not to enrich the mayor who controlled it."
Ingoglia was equally emphatic: "Public service has that name for a reason; it is not for personal gain. Jackie Espinosa abused that trust and profited at the expense of taxpayers."
The formal charges are grand theft —a second-degree felony involving an amount between $20,000 and $100,000— and a scheme to defraud for $50,000 or more, which is a first-degree felony. If convicted, Espinosa could face up to 30 years in prison. According to the Osceola County jail records, she was held without bail.
The defense categorically rejected the charges. Attorney Migdalia Pérez asserted that "this case involves a publicly approved grant program administered by municipal staff, not a secret scheme to steal money from taxpayers," and stated that the prosecution would not be able to prove criminal intent.
"There is a fundamental difference between an alleged ethical breach and a criminal offense," added Pérez, who announced that he will contest the charges in court.
The arrest marks the most serious point in a long chain of legal issues for Espinosa, who was elected mayor in November 2024. Last August, the Kissimmee City Commission blocked her impeachment trial with a tie vote of two in favor and two against. Weeks later, the Florida Ethics Commission censured her and recommended a fine of $2,000.
Jackie Espinosa, 58 years old, is a politician and real estate investor of Puerto Rican descent born in New Jersey. According to the database Ballotready, she graduated in Legal Studies in 1989, and after obtaining licenses in real estate management and mortgages, she founded several firms in the city.
His case resonates particularly in Kissimmee, a city with a population of about 85,000, where approximately 68% are Hispanic, including thousands of small business owners who applied for the same aid during the pandemic. Osceola County is also home to around 16,900 residents of Cuban origin.
At the close of this edition, Governor Ron DeSantis had not issued a suspension order. If he does, Deputy Mayor Angela Eady would take office temporarily until the legal process is resolved or Espinosa's term concludes in November 2028.
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