KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Kissimmee City Commission voted Tuesday night to temporarily pause its process for handling ethics complaints against elected officials, following ongoing investigations involving Mayor Jackie Espinosa and Commissioner Janette Martinez.
In a 3-2 vote, commissioners agreed to stop forwarding ethics complaints to a court-appointed special prosecutor while the city drafts a new ordinance outlining how complaints should be investigated.
The move came after heated debate inside City Hall, where residents and commissioners questioned why the process was being halted after investigations were already underway.
“It looks like a pause button is being hit only after certain people become uncomfortable with this process,” one speaker told commissioners during public comment.
Back in April, the commission voted to send two ethics complaints involving Espinosa and Martinez to the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court so a special prosecutor could be appointed to investigate the allegations.
City officials said the current process comes at a significant cost to taxpayers, with the special prosecutor billing the city $475 per hour.
“There’s no process for the city to evaluate whether there’s merit to any of the complaints, and so we are simply on the hook — the taxpayers are on the hook,” City Attorney Kalanit Oded said during Tuesday’s meeting.
The city’s decision also follows a legal challenge filed by Espinosa’s attorney with the Sixth District Court of Appeal. The motion argues the Ninth Judicial Circuit does not have jurisdiction over the complaints and says the allegations should instead be reviewed by the Florida Commission on Ethics.
“Complaints that have been brought forward and may come forward against anybody on this commission are frankly complaints that could be brought before the Commission on Ethics,” Oded said.
During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners also voted against sending two additional ethics complaints involving Espinosa and Martinez to the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Despite the city’s pause, ethics complaints can still be filed directly with the Florida Commission on Ethics.
Commissioner Martinez opposed delaying the investigations.
“Waiting six months, it’s ridiculous,” Martinez said. “I want to move forward with these motions. I want to see this in front of a prosecutor. I want to see this process move so we can have relief and we can get back to doing business.”
The city manager also announced another ethics complaint against Espinosa was expected to be presented to the commission during its June 2 meeting.