OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The interim Osceola County sheriff, who took over a department mired in scandal after the arrest of his predecessor, is now facing an ethics complaint of his own.
Sheriff Chris Blackmon’s complaint comes a few days after WFTV reported Blackmon hired his daughter’s company to produce hats, patches and challenge coins for the agency as it gears up for America 250 celebrations.
Blackmon paid his daughter $40,000, of which slightly more than half was taxpayer money. The rest came from deputies making their own purchases.
Blackmon said his daughter’s company was able to produce the items at significantly lower costs than other vendors. On Friday, his spokeswoman said the plastic hats they planned to distribute to children cost $1.25 per hat, instead of $2.75 their usual vendor quoted. If true, the department would’ve saved $7,500 on its 5,000-hat order.
The cost of Blackmon’s order of $10 multi-colored challenge coins with an edge design also appeared to be on the lower side compared to similar coins purchased by other agencies. A first order of coins, which requires a stamp to be made, can range from $7 to more than $20, depending on the design and how many are ordered, an officer at a different agency who has ordered coins said.
They said multi-color and edge designs are premium options that typically drive the price toward the higher end of the scale.
However, contracting with a vendor controlled, owned or operated by a family member is illegal in Florida. Blackmon has since apologized to his deputies, the money was returned and the items were donated to the agency instead.
On Friday, his spokeswoman, Kim Montes, said they planned to comply with the ethics investigation, which they expected to happen. She also confirmed OCSO will no longer do any business with Blackmon’s daughter’s company.
“We know the community expects better after the last sheriff,” Montes said. “He knows he messed up and this won’t happen again.”
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
