A former city government employee in Florida was arrested, according to law enforcement.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced the arrest of 49-year-old Christee Michelle Yoder, of Tavares, on one count of fraudulent claim of exemption (sales tax). Yoder had been employed with the City of Fruitland Park for thirteen years and served as the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Fruitland Park, which is in Lake County in Central Florida.
FDLE agents and investigators with the Florida Department of Revenue and the Fruitland Park Police Department initiated a joint investigation after receiving complaints alleging that Christee Yoder, then serving as director, was using the City of Fruitland Park Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption to fraudulently claim sales tax exemption.
According to FDLE, while acting in her official capacity as the Parks and Recreation Director, Yoder used the city’s certificate of exemption while making personal purchases on the City of Fruitland Park’s Amazon business account to evade the payment of sales tax.
The investigation revealed that between May 2021 and February 2026, Yoder purchased more than $24,000 of personal items using the City of Fruitland Park’s Amazon business account with her personal credit card and evaded the payment of sales tax on these items, totaling $1,580. An additional mandatory penalty of 200 percent of the tax was calculated, totaling $4,730.
This month, FDLE agents obtained an arrest warrant for Christee Yoder, and she surrendered at the Lake County Jail.
“She thought she could evade paying sales taxes, but she couldn’t evade getting caught and charged with a felony,” FDLE posted when announcing the arrest of the former city government employee.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit. The investigation remains active, according to law enforcement.
