A former city government employee in Florida has been arrested, according to law enforcement.
Christee Michelle Yoder, 49, of Tavares, was arrested on one count of fraudulent claim of exemption (sales tax). Yoder has worked for the City of Fruitland Park for thirteen years, most recently as the Parks and Recreation Director. The city is located in Lake County, Central Florida.
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FDLE agents and investigators from the Florida Department of Revenue and the Fruitland Park Police Department launched a joint investigation after receiving complaints that Christee Yoder, the director at the time, was fraudulently claiming sales tax exemption using the City of Fruitland Park Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption.
According to FDLE, Yoder utilized the city’s certificate of exemption to dodge sales tax while acting in her official capacity as Parks and Recreation Director by making personal purchases on the City of Fruitland Park’s Amazon business account.
The inquiry discovered that between May 2021 and February 2026, Yoder used her personal credit card to purchase more than $24,000 in personal purchases through the City of Fruitland Park’s Amazon business account, evading sales tax payments of $1,580. An additional statutory penalty of 200 percent of the tax was calculated, amounting to $4,730.
This month, FDLE agents obtained an arrest warrant for Christee Yoder, who surrendered to Lake County Jail.
“She thought she could evade paying sales taxes, but she couldn’t evade getting caught and charged with a felony,” the FDLE said in a statement announcing the former city government employee’s arrest.
The Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, is prosecuting the case. The inquiry is still ongoing, according to law enforcement.
