Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa was arrested Wednesday morning and is now facing charges of grand theft and an organized scheme to defraud, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. Espinosa was taken into custody at her home in Osceola County, where she was pulled over shortly after 8 a.m. as she drove away.
Uthmeier announced the arrest in a social media post, writing, “This morning, we arrested Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa and are charging her with grand theft and organized scheme to defraud,” according to WESH. WFTV reported that its crew was present when Espinosa was stopped; the station also said its investigative team had been tracking an ongoing Florida Department of Law Enforcement inquiry involving Espinosa.
A news conference was scheduled for 2 p.m. at the attorney general's Orlando office, where state officials were expected to provide additional information, per the same WESH report. Uthmeier was set to be joined by the state's chief financial officer and FDLE Commissioner Mark Keefe — WESH identified the CFO as Blaise Ingoglia, while WFTV referred to him as CFO Ingoglia. It had not been confirmed whether Wednesday's arrest was connected to a separate set of ethics allegations that have dogged Espinosa for months, the station's report noted.
A Fraught Year in City Hall
Those ethics allegations centered on $50,000 in Boost 2.0 grant money — funded by federal COVID-19 relief dollars meant to help Kissimmee businesses that struggled during the pandemic — that was awarded to businesses connected to Espinosa and her family, according to WFTV's earlier reporting. The Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause to believe Espinosa had violated state ethics law in connection with the program, though that finding did not amount to a final determination of wrongdoing, the outlet reported at the time.
Espinosa ultimately agreed to a $2,000 fine, along with a public censure and reprimand, as that ethics investigation appeared to wind down, according to a separate WESH report. Earlier in 2026, a special prosecutor had found probable cause to initiate impeachment proceedings against her, alleging she withheld public funds and failed to disclose personal interests, per WESH.
That impeachment push ultimately stalled. Kissimmee city commissioners deadlocked 2-2 in August on whether to move forward with an impeachment trial, meaning the effort failed to advance, according to WFTV's reporting. The city commission had earlier voted to ask a judge to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate ethics complaints against both Espinosa and Commissioner Janette Martinez, Spectrum News 13 reported in April.
What Comes Next
Espinosa has served as Kissimmee's mayor since November 2024, according to the city's official government page, with a term that runs through 2028. As of Wednesday morning, no booking record, bond details, court date or attorney statement tied to the new criminal charges had been made public.
WKMG's ClickOrlando was among the outlets confirming the arrest Wednesday morning, as officials prepared to lay out further details at the afternoon news conference in Orlando. Hoodline will continue to follow developments as state officials release more information about the case against Espinosa.
