Orange County Sheriff’s Office buys ice-cream truck with money ‘seized from drug dealers’

As state auditors continue touring the state to publicly shame local officials for “wasteful spending,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando has announced its own questionable expenditure: a new ice-cream truck offering free frozen treats to kids, reportedly bought by the agency with money seized from drug dealers.

“OCSO has a new ice cream truck, purchased with money seized from drug dealers,” a Feb. 7 social media post from the sheriff’s office reads. “We’re turning money meant for bad into something good for our community.”

The social media post includes a video reel that opens with Orange County Sheriff John Mina riding in the front seat of an ice-cream truck. Differentiating itself from other, non-cop ice-cream trucks, the vehicle has been redecorated with the motto “Protect and Serve” painted on its side, plus a large “Orange County Sheriff’s Office Ice Cream” logo.

On the driver’s door, the origin story of the truck is emblazoned, punctuated with crying-laughing-face emojis: “This truck was purchased with money seized from drug dealers.”

FREE ice cream, coming soon to a neighborhood near you!

OCSO has a new ice cream truck, purchased with money seized from drug dealers. We’re turning money meant for bad into something good for our community.

Be on the lookout in your neighborhoods and follow us on social media… pic.twitter.com/wOzHfiVxde

— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) February 7, 2026

An unnamed Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told Orlando Weekly the total cost of the truck was $91,705.96, a figure that includes the cost of the truck itself as well as the interior and wrap. “The money is, literally, money seized from drug dealers and other criminals,” the spokesperson explained, when asked for clarification on the funding source.

There is a legal process under state and federal law for how money seized under such circumstances can be used. The money seized under these circumstances goes into the agency’s Law Enforcement Trust Funds, and law enforcement agencies by law are required to put some of the money they seize back into the community.

In addition to the ice-cream truck, the sheriff’s office said it also uses those forfeiture funds for “community crime prevention awards,” and in the last five years, has distributed more than $900,000 to local nonprofits and community groups.

The agency spokesperson confirmed that the Community Relations section of OCSO’s budget will pay for the cost of the frozen treats their ice-cream truck gives out moving forward, adding that they have a local supplier for the ice-cream that costs them about 50 cents per treat.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has an allocated budget of $423 million this fiscal year, up 10.5 percent over the previous year, according to county documents. The agency’s budget has increased $169 million since 2018, and today they employ more than 2,700 full-time staff.

According to OCSO, the truck will be driving through “some” Orange County neighborhoods, offering free ice cream to kids. (There is no mention in the department’s announcement of whether adults will also be able to receive free ice cream.)

The stated goal, per Mina, is to “better engage with our youth and build trust between our youth and the sheriff’s office.” Polling by Gallup in 2023 found that Generation Z (individuals born between 1997 and 2012) generally lacks trust in major U.S. institutions, including law enforcement, with Republican Gen Zers voicing greater support for police than Democrats.

The local sheriff’s office, for its part, is no stranger to complaints of excessive force, literally kicking people while they’re down, and being disturbingly trigger-happy in situations that ultimately result in fatalities.

Touted as a “community engagement effort,” the agency’s new ice-cream truck is expected to be used for OCSO events such as its “Sheriff’s BBQ” and “Trunk or Treat” in addition to regular visits through neighborhoods in the county.

The sheriff’s office asks for residents to “be on the lookout” for the ice-cream truck in their own neighborhoods, and to keep an eye on the department’s social media pages for updates on where the truck is headed next.

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Orange County Sheriff’s Office buys ice-cream truck with money ‘seized from drug dealers’

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