KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A special prosecutor is recommending that Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa be impeached following an ethics investigation that found she received $50,000 from a city grant program she helped control.
The recommendation comes after a months-long investigation. The special prosecutor was assigned in May and noted in her report that Espinosa did not cooperate with the investigation at first, delaying the process by filing an appeal.
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What the 13-page report found
The special prosecutor, operating through the Ninth Judicial Circuit, laid out several ethics complaints in the 13-page investigative report. The report recommends taking no action on most of them — including allegations that Espinosa cut off a speaker during a meeting and helped fast-track city refunds for friends.
The BOOST 2.0 program is a different story.
According to the report, Espinosa voted as mayor to expand the BOOST 2.0 program, which offers grants to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the first $375,000 allocated for the program, Espinosa received $50,000 — nearly 20% of the entire fund.
The special prosecutor wrote: “The BOOST 2.0 program was created to help Kissimmee’s small business survive a pandemic, not to enrich the official who controlled it.”
The report states Espinosa should pay the money back.
What happens next
The special prosecutor is not only recommending impeachment but also calling on the city to refer the case to law enforcement, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Chief Financial Officer’s office.