Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with Grand Theft and Organized Scheme to Defraud, Florida’s Attorney General announced on X at 9:05 a.m.
“This morning, we arrested Kissimmee mayor Jackie Espinosa and are charging her with Grand Theft and Organized Scheme to Defraud,” the Attorney General wrote, adding that a press conference would be held at 2 p.m. at the FDLE Orlando Office alongside CFO Blaise Ingoglia and FDLE Commissioner Larry Keefe.
According to local media reports, law enforcement stopped Espinosa on a residential street off Neptune Road, where she was detained and handcuffed.
CFO Ingoglia released a statement Wednesday morning crediting his office’s auditing team and Criminal Investigations Division with uncovering the alleged misuse of taxpayer funds.
“I am proud of the diligent work that my auditing team and Criminal Investigations Division did to identify the alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars and to ensure that Jackie Espinosa’s corruption did not go without recourse for the people of Kissimmee. I also applaud FDLE’s work to further investigate this case, and the AG and his team for bringing charges against Espinosa. Public service should never be self-service, and Jackie Espinosa will now have to answer for taking from the taxpayers. More to come at 2 p.m.”
A Pattern of Scrutiny
Espinosa has faced a series of state investigations throughout 2026, most centered on three downtown Kissimmee companies operated by her family that received $50,000 in federal COVID-19 pandemic recovery funds through the city’s “Business Boost 2.0” program. City commissioners, including Espinosa herself, approved that program in 2025.
The Florida Commission on Ethics is scheduled to meet Friday at 8:30 a.m. in Tallahassee to act on a recommendation against Espinosa. In August, the Commission found probable cause that she violated state statute by conducting city business with her own companies, and had recommended a $2,000 civil fine along with public censure and reprimand.
The arrest, and the manner of it — stopped on a residential street, pulled from her car and handcuffed — suggests prosecutors now view the matter as considerably more serious than a fine and reprimand.
Espinosa is entitled, as is every American, to due process and a presumption of innocence. The mayor’s office in Kissimmee is a nonpartisan position, though Espinosa previously ran for a seat on the Osceola County Commission as a Democrat.
This is a developing story.
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