{"id":1290,"date":"2026-05-21T10:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1290"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:03:59","slug":"kissimmee-halts-processing-new-ethics-complaints-as-it-revises-its-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1290","title":{"rendered":"Kissimmee halts processing new ethics complaints as it revises its rules"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amid two ongoing ethics investigations into the activities of the city\u2019s mayor and a commissioner \u2014 and with two new complaints filed recently \u2014 the Kissimmee City Commission decided this week to halt evaluating complaints until a new process can be adopted.<\/p>\n

Read more Orlando Sentinel\u2019s Best of the Fringe Festival 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

On Tuesday evening in a 3-2 vote commissioners agreed to pause handling ethics complaints for a period of up to 6 months, until a new system can be devised.<\/p>\n

Last month the commission sent the complaints against Mayor Jackie Espinosa and Commissioner Janette Martinez to a special prosecutor and an investigation that cost $475 per hour is now underway. The commission\u2019s vote does not pause those active investigations.<\/p>\n

Current city code authorizes each complaint to be sent to a special prosecutor to determine if probable cause of a violation exists. The problem, city officials say, is that it does not permit city staff to first review the complaint for accuracy or legal sufficiency, so Kissimmee can end up paying for an ethics investigation its staff believes has no merit.<\/p>\n

City rules also don\u2019t let the city consider whether the Florida Commission on Ethics is reviewing the same matter, so Kissimmee can end up duplicating the state\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

City staff wants Kissimmee to change the code to streamline how it handles complaints and avoid those problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not to quash or repress anybody\u2019s point of view it\u2019s just trying to figure out what is the best format for these complaints to be raised and addressed,\u201d City Attorney Kalanit Oded said. \u201cWhat we are working with right now \u2026 there are no guardrails. It is not due process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oded said the city\u2019s current process is expensive, and it\u2019s in the public\u2019s interest to be revised.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSome of the complaints that have been brought forward, and that may come forward against anybody on the commission, are frankly complaints that could be brought before the commission on ethics,\u201d Oded said. \u201cIt\u2019s duplicative, but in addition there\u2019s no process to evaluate whether there\u2019s any merit to any of the complaints so we are simply on the hook. The taxpayers are on the hook.\u201d<\/p>\n

Espinosa, who is under investigation by a special prosecutor, has made similar arguments. Earlier this month Espinosa\u2019s lawyer sought to block a special prosecutor\u2019s probe initiated by the city, arguing the state has authority over such ethics complaints and not local officials.<\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: They were making out in the restaurant, and we couldn\u2019t look away<\/a><\/p>\n

Espinosa is being investigated for a complaint that she benefitted from a public grant program she created. Her family businesses received $50,000 in grants from a city business initiative.<\/p>\n

Martinez, who is under investigation for claims that she misused her position to help business associates and friends obtain city permits and grant funding, opposed the decision to pause the current process for six months, saying that was too long and made her \u201cvery uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Martinez has denied any wrong doing and likened the complaint to \u201cmisinformation\u201d and called it \u201cpolitically motivated\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have an issue with this part of the charter taking a pause \u2026 but I just don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good time right now to have this starting,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cWe\u2019re in the public\u2019s eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s decision outraged some residents, who spoke against the change at Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy question is simple. Why now?\u201d said resident Lillian Evans, who on May 1 filed a new complaint against the mayor. \u201cIt looks like a pause button is being hit only after certain people become uncomfortable with this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evans\u2019 complaint against Espinosa alleges the mayor has many different addresses in public records and questioned if she actually lived within the city, as code requires.<\/p>\n

Espinosa declined to comment on the new complaint but has previously denied wrongdoing for the first complaint filed against her.<\/p>\n

Later in the meeting, commissioners voted to pause Evans\u2019 complaint against the Mayor and a new complaint filed against Martinez while the city updates its code. The new complaint alleges she has an undisclosed business relationship with a food truck company that received a special permit from the city, expanding on the complaint against her that is already under investigation.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: May 21, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus takes final bow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kissimmee halts processing new ethics complaints as it revises its rules, hoping to devise a better system within six months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nKissimmee halts processing new ethics complaints as it revises its rules - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1290\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kissimmee halts processing new ethics complaints as it revises its rules - 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