By Staff Reporter
iSkyNews.com (ISN) – Published March 2nd, 2026
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Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Releases Results of Internal Audits Following Leadership Change
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — After stepping into the role as Interim Sheriff in June 2025, Christopher Blackmon requested a series of audits across several key divisions within the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to take a closer look at how the agency was operating behind the scenes.
The results, now released, paint a detailed picture of the agency’s evidence handling, financial practices, and information technology systems — and overall, the findings show strong accountability with some areas still being improved.
Evidence Review: Everything Accounted For
One of the biggest focuses was the agency’s evidence section. Between September 30 and October 1, 2025, agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) conducted a hands-on inventory of high-liability evidence items stored by the sheriff’s office.
In total, 20,757 high-liability items were inspected, and investigators confirmed that every single item was accounted for. FDLE also randomly sampled 4,878 general evidence items, again finding 100 percent accounted for.
FDLE officials noted that the evidence unit demonstrated excellent security, organization, and overall integrity, describing the way items were packaged and stored as exceptional.
Financial Audit: Strong Controls With Added Oversight
A forensic financial review was also completed by Forvis Mazars, LLP, covering spending and financial activity from January 2021 through June 2025. The goal was to look for any warning signs tied to fraud, waste, or misuse of funds.
The audit recommended routine reviews of procurement card usage, including spending limits and whether cards were still necessary. In response, the sheriff’s office has already collected most of the previously issued purchasing cards, tightening internal oversight.
Officials also emphasized that employees must undergo required training before using purchasing cards or similar spending tools. Reimbursements, vendor records, and financial classifications are processed through a dedicated internal system designed to reduce mistakes and improve accountability, with a monthly risk analysis conducted during each financial closing cycle.
An additional audit focused on the agency’s information technology systems, conducted by FDLE analysts in August 2025 as part of a routine review cycle.
While auditors flagged several areas needing improvement, the sheriff’s office says about 80 percent of those issues have already been addressed or are currently being worked on.
One major step taken was the reinstatement of the IT Director position, which had previously been eliminated. Agency leaders say this move is helping guide ongoing upgrades and ensure the department becomes fully compliant and more efficient moving forward.
Sheriff Blackmon’s decision to initiate the audits was aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency within the agency.
Overall, the findings show that evidence handling practices are strong, financial oversight is being tightened, and technology systems are steadily improving. Officials say they will continue monitoring progress and implementing recommendations to keep the agency running as effectively and responsibly as possible.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office stated it will continue implementing audit recommendations and monitoring progress to ensure long-term compliance and efficiency.
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