Kissimmee Mayor Suspended: DeSantis Removes Jackie Espinosa After Felony Arrest
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa on Friday under executive order 26-226, the city announced, and Vice Mayor Angela Eady now serves as mayor following Espinosa's October 21 arrest on grand theft and fraud charges.
Kissimmee has a new mayor this weekend, and it did not come by election. Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Mayor Jackie Espinosa on Friday, October 30, under executive order 26-226, according to a midnight news release from the City of Kissimmee reported Saturday. Vice Mayor Angela Eady now serves as mayor and will stay in the role until the suspension is revoked or Espinosa's term ends, the city said. The order also bars Espinosa from pay and the privileges of office during the suspension.
Espinosa, who has served as mayor since November 2024, was arrested on October 21 on charges of grand theft and an organized scheme to defraud. State officials allege she helped create and expand the city's Business Boost 2.0 grant program, then directed $50,000 in COVID-era relief grants to businesses connected to her and her family members. She was also issued a public reprimand by the Florida Commission on Ethics and fined $2,000, according to the reporting read this cycle. The charges are allegations; the criminal case remains pending.
Under Florida's Constitution, the governor may suspend an elected municipal official who has been indicted for a crime or arrested on a charge related to the duties of the office. Eady's move to the mayor's chair leaves her Commission seat, seat 2, open, and the City Commission must appoint a qualified person to fill it; that appointee will not serve as vice mayor, the city said.
