The Florida Commission on Ethics voted unanimously Friday that it found probable cause Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa had an employment or contractual relationship with three companies that accepted money from a city fund designed to help small businesses still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hearing and the vote that concluded it became public record on Wednesday, with those involved instructed not to comment about it until then.
Espinosa did just that Wednesday night. Acknowledging that she would have to repeat the same answers to all the media requests she received, the mayor took to Facebook live to address the questions and what she’ll do moving forward.
“I believe the public deserves the opportunity to understand the facts for themselves, not rumors, not social media commentaries, not political interpretations, but the actual record,” she said.
According to Espinosa, the finding of probable cause comes with the ability to request a public hearing within 14 days that would determine whether there was a violation of the state statute.
“We have a list of 10 witnesses we want to call,” Espinosa said. “The case is just beginning. It's happening in the right venue.”
City records show that Adanse, LLC, the Kissimmee Diner and the Real Estate Gallery, which her husband and children own and operate received $50,000 in “Business Boost 2.0” funds in 2025. Espinosa did not deny that Wednesday night.
“I went through the same process that everyone else in the city of Kissimmee went through,” she said on her live stream, noting that nobody at any level has ordered her or her family’s companies to pay the federal money back. “The money was from 2021, I didn’t create the matrix for this.”
At an Aug. 18 City Commission meeting, Special Prosecutor Mayanne Downs presented the City Commission her findings that Espinosa violated city ethics codes by voting to create and fund the business grant program while the three businesses tied to her and her family benefitted from it. While Downs recommended that the city could hold impeachment proceedings and to refer the matter to the FDLE, only two of the other four commissioners voted to do that. Lacking three votes, it ended the city’s role in the matter.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents were in Kissimmee Thursday and Friday of last week to interview Kissimmee officials and others connected to their investigation of the case. Wednesday night, Espinosa addressed that, noting the FDLE has a department it uses to investigate cases against elected officials, but was referred to the Commission on Ethics.
“This cost the Kissimmee money, and it cost the state money,” Espinosa said.
