Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa Arrested on Grand Theft and Fraud Charges Over COVID Relief Grants

Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa was arrested early Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, on charges of grand theft and fraud. Officials say the charges stem from $50,000 in COVID-era grants that went to her or to businesses owned by her family members.

The Florida Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement allege that Espinosa, as mayor, helped create and expand the city's Business Boost 2.0 grant program, launched in 2025. The program gave small businesses hurt by the pandemic grants of between $5,000 and more than $20,000. Investigators say she then applied for $50,000 in grants for businesses connected to her or her relatives, and brushed aside ethical concerns raised by city staff.

According to the state's figures, four businesses that rent space in a building the mayor owns received $10,000 each. Three businesses owned by Espinosa or her family received a combined $50,000 through three grants. The Real Estate Gallery, owned by her husband, received $15,000. The Kissimmee Diner also received $15,000 and closed five months later; a new business has since opened in its place. Andanse LLC, which the mayor owns and which she and a family member lease, received $20,000.

Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement that public officials "do not get to write the rules and then write themselves a check." He said the mayor pushed the relief program and then took $50,000 for her family's businesses after being warned that doing so was prohibited. Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said Espinosa "abused that trust and cashed in at the taxpayers' expense." FDLE Commissioner Larry Keefe said failing to hold officials accountable in corruption cases causes "the whole system" to unravel.

Rich Mantei, who leads the Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and is prosecuting the case, said of Espinosa: "Her defense to being a criminal is that she's just unethical." He added that it is unusual to encounter such a defense, but that she "tried her hardest to be both."

Espinosa's attorney, Migdalia Perez of Perez Lasure Law, said the mayor maintains her innocence. Perez described the grant program as publicly approved and administered by city staff, not a secret scheme. She said prosecutors must prove criminal intent and that there is a fundamental difference between an alleged ethics violation and a crime. "Mayor Espinosa deserves the presumption of innocence, not a presumption of guilt because she has been arrested," the statement said. Spokespeople for the City of Kissimmee and the Kissimmee Police Department deferred questions to FDLE.

The arrest follows several earlier ethics findings. In June, a court-appointed special prosecutor found probable cause that Espinosa likely violated ethics law by applying for grants through the program, and recommended that city commissioners consider articles of impeachment. In August, the City Commission voted not to file them. In September, the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause of potential ethics violations, which will be considered at an evidentiary hearing.

The city said Vice Mayor Angela Eady will perform mayoral duties at commission meetings and ceremonial events when Espinosa is absent. Espinosa keeps her commission seat unless she is suspended, removed or resigns, and city operations will continue as normal. The city has also opened an internal investigation into the Business Boost 2.0 program.

Espinosa made her first court appearance on Thursday, Oct. 22, when a judge set bond at $70,000. She posted bond late that day and was released from jail. Her next court date is Dec. 1, 2026. Speaking to reporters, she said what happened "requires all of us to go out and vote November 3rd," and told Kissimmee residents, "we will be okay."