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article <\/p>\n article <\/p>\n
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa violated Florida ethics law by maintaining a prohibited contractual relationship with an entity doing business with the city after her business accepted grant money administered by the city.<\/p>\n
The commission announced the decision Tuesday following its Aug. 28 meeting in Tallahassee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commissioners stressed that a finding of probable cause is not a determination that an ethics violation occurred. Any violation would be decided only after a full evidentiary hearing.<\/p>\n
The backstory:<\/p>\n
According to the commission, the allegation stems from Espinosa’s business receiving grant funding that was administered by the City of Kissimmee while she served as mayor.<\/p>\n
Kissimmee city commissioners voted Aug. 18 against advancing articles of impeachment against Mayor Espinosa following a special prosecutor’s ethics investigation. A court-appointed special prosecutor recommended impeachment after investigating potential ethics violations related to the city’s BOOST 2.0 COVID-19 relief program. The investigative report alleged that over $50,000 in public relief funds went to businesses linked to Espinosa and her family without proper disclosure of conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n
In a separate ethics complaint, the commission found no probable cause that Espinosa failed to properly disclose a gift worth more than $100. Commissioners rejected a recommendation from the commission’s advocate and concluded Espinosa disclosed the gift on the wrong financial disclosure form based on advice from the city attorney.<\/p>\n
Mayor responds <\/p>\n
The other side:<\/p>\n
Mayor Espinosa live-streamed a response to the release on Wednesday evening. You can watch a recorded video of the livestream below:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The actions involving Espinosa were among 38 matters considered by the commission during its meeting. The panel also reviewed complaints involving current and former public officials from across Florida.<\/p>\n
The Florida Commission on Ethics is an independent nine-member panel that investigates alleged violations of the state’s ethics laws. If the commission ultimately determines a violation occurred, it may recommend penalties ranging from public reprimands to removal from office and civil fines of up to $20,000 per violation.<\/p>\n
The Source: This story was written based on information from a press release shared by the State of Florida Commission on Ethics, dated Sept. 2, 2026.<\/p>\n
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