KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Angela Eady, who had been serving as vice mayor, is now running Kissimmee city government after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Mayor Jackie Espinosa late last week.
The governor issued the suspension on Friday, Oct. 30, through Executive Order 26-226. While it is in effect, Espinosa is barred from carrying out any official duties and will not be paid. Eady moved into the top job under Section 25 of the city charter.
In a video message to residents released over the weekend, Eady said city services are running as usual and city workers remain on the job. She named neighborhoods, infrastructure, public safety and economic growth as the priorities she plans to keep moving. Kissimmee has more than 900 city employees and uses a commission-manager form of government.
The suspension follows Espinosa’s arrest on Oct. 21. She is charged with second-degree grand theft and a first-degree organized scheme to defraud tied to city business grants, and state investigators say about $90,000 in grant money went to businesses connected to her or her family. Espinosa, 58, entered a not guilty plea at an Oct. 22 hearing at the Osceola County Jail and was released on a $70,000 bond. She has argued that any small business in the city was free to apply for the money.
Eady will hold the mayor’s office until the suspension is lifted or the current term runs out, whichever happens first. Her move leaves Commission Seat 2 open for now. Under the charter, the other four commissioners get the first chance to fill it with a majority vote; if no one is picked, a special election would decide the seat.
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