OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The mayor of Kissimmee, Florida was arrested Wednesday after an internal city investigation accused her of fraud and theft charges.
Action News Jax’s Orlando station, WFTV was the only media outlet there when law enforcement pulled Mayor Jackie Espinosa over shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday as she drove away from her home.
Officers asked her to step out of the vehicle, placed her in handcuffs, and booked her into into the Osceola County Jail.
Espinosa faces one count of grand theft involving $20,000 to $100,000, a second-degree felony, and one count of organized scheme to defraud involving $50,000 or more, a first-degree felony.
At the center of the city’s internal investigation is Kissimmee’s “Business Boost 2.0″ program, according to a WFTV report Wednesday. Prosecutors allege Espinosa helped create the program and then applied alongside immediate family members for grants benefiting three businesses they owned or controlled.
According to the arrest affidavit, Adanse LLC received $20,000; Kissimmee Diner Inc., which operates as Matador Tacos & Tapas, received $15,000; and The Real Estate Gallery LLC received $15,000. The applications were approved Nov. 4, 2025, and the funds were deposited three days later.
The state alleges Espinosa declined to return the money after the city attorney notified her Dec. 5 that accepting it created a prohibited conflict of interest.
The Business Boost 2.0 program used American Rescue Plan Act dollars to provide one-time assistance to eligible small businesses.
Espinosa pleaded not guilty and her attorney, Migdalia Perez, said Wednesday the mayor maintains her innocence and denies acting with criminal intent.
“This case involves a publicly approved grant program administered by City staff, not a secret scheme to steal taxpayer money,” Perez said in a statement. “We intend to challenge these allegations vigorously in court.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the mayor’s arrest at a news conference Wednesday. “Public officials do not get to write the rules and then write themselves a check,” he stated in a social media post. “Florida taxpayers funded that money to help small businesses, not to enrich the mayor who controlled it.”
Today, we announced the arrest of Kissimmee Mayor Eva Jacquelyn Espinosa for Grand Theft and Organized Scheme to Defraud. Mayor Espinosa used her position to push a grant program, then took $50,000 from it to enrich her family’s businesses.
Public officials do not get to write the rules and then write themselves a check. Florida taxpayers funded that money to help small businesses, not to enrich the mayor who controlled it.
https://t.co/0zbSOlWlvk
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) October 21, 2026
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