The former CEO of a Realtors association in Polk County, Jennifer Garula-Mers, has been charged in a theft case where authorities allege she stole more than $80,000 from the organization.
Garula-Mers, 53, of Spring Hill, was taken into custody Nov. 20 by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. She is being held on no bond until first appearance and will be charged with second-degree felony Grand Theft, $20,000 – $100,000, according to a statement from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Garula-Mers was CEO of the East Polk County Association of Realtors in Auburndale from 2020 until she was terminated from her employment there in August 2024.
“Our investigation found that she made unauthorized raises and bonuses to herself, and non-business credit card charges that began within a few months after she was hired in 2020,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says in the statement…