Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa Freed on $70,000 Bond After Grand Theft and Fraud Arrest

Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa walked out of the Osceola County Jail after posting a $70,000 bond, a day after her arrest on charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud. Prosecutors allege she used a city grant program she helped create to obtain money for her own businesses.

Speaking to reporters after a night in custody, Espinosa pointed to the upcoming election. "What happened yesterday requires all of us to go out and vote November 3rd," she said, adding that residents of Kissimmee "will be okay." She appeared in court on Thursday, Oct. 22, wearing an orange jumpsuit. Jail officials said she was held in a separate cell because of her high-profile status.

Judge Hal Epperson Jr. set bond at $20,000 on the first count and $50,000 on the second, and declined to alter that total. The state prosecutor asked that Espinosa be required to show the money used to secure her release did not come from criminal activity. Her defense attorneys said the money at the center of the case is no longer available and that she has legitimate income. One attorney told the court she "runs many businesses" and has "lots of sources of funds" unconnected to any misdeed.

According to prosecutors, the case centers on the city's Business Boost 2.0 grant program, launched in 2025 to give grants of $5,000 to $20,000 or more to small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida Attorney's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement allege Espinosa helped create and expand the program, then applied for $50,000 in grants for businesses tied to her or her relatives while ignoring ethical concerns raised by staff.

The reported grants include $10,000 each to four businesses that rent space in a building the mayor owns, $15,000 to The Real Estate Gallery, owned by her husband, and $15,000 to The Kissimmee Diner, which closed five months after receiving the money. Andanse LLC, owned by the mayor and leased by her and a family member, received $20,000. FOX 35 said no one answered at the businesses or at the mayor's home.

Concerns about the timing of the arrest, ahead of the midterm elections, were raised by some speakers at a Latino community voting event Espinosa had been scheduled to attend. She was not up for reelection. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, said the case "has been in the works for a while" and that he does not control when a judge signs an arrest warrant. He said public officials are "public servants" who should not "get flush with cash from their own initiatives."

Kissimmee Commissioner Jeanette Martinez, who attended the event and could be a prosecution witness, declined to discuss the allegations, saying, "Everyone has their day in court." According to the report, she earlier told investigators she saw ethical implications in the mayor's actions and voted to move forward with a process addressing concerns about her conduct.

Espinosa has faced several earlier reviews. In June, a court-appointed special prosecutor found probable cause that she likely violated ethics law and suggested commissioners consider impeachment articles. The commission voted against filing them in August. In September, the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause of potential violations, which will go to an evidentiary hearing.

Her attorney, Migdalia Perez, said Espinosa maintains her innocence and described the program as publicly approved and run by city staff, not a scheme to steal taxpayer money. Perez said prosecutors must prove criminal intent and that an alleged ethics violation is not a crime. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The city said Vice Mayor Angela Eady will carry out 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 the city has opened an internal investigation into the grant program. She is due back in court Dec. 1 for a pretrial conference and is also expected to face a Florida Commission on Ethics hearing.