Winter Haven, FL – Jennifer Garula-Mers, 53, former CEO of the East Polk County Association of Realtors (EPCAR), was arrested Thursday, November 20, 2025, on one count of grand theft ($20,000–$100,000), a second-degree felony.
She was taken into custody by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and is being held without bond pending transfer to Polk County.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigation determined that between 2020 and her termination in August 2024, Garula-Mers stole a total of $81,453.92 from the nonprofit association through unauthorized transactions that began just months after she was hired in 2020 at an annual salary of approximately $80,000.
Detectives documented the following unauthorized actions:
- $43,105.86 in unapproved salary increases that raised her annual pay to $99,472
- $20,348.89 in unauthorized payroll checks she issued to herself
- $12,500 in unauthorized bonuses she signed
- $3,267.51 in personal purchases using the association’s credit card (dining, shopping, personal grooming, household goods, and Amazon orders)
- $2,112.97 in improper reimbursements
- $7,938.27 in excess contributions to her personal retirement account after she changed the contribution rate
All transactions were approved and executed solely by Garula-Mers.
“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. Jennifer Garula-Mers is a thief and stole tens of thousands of dollars from the association. I urge all nonprofit associations to have effective checks and balances in place,” Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Source: Polk County Sheriff’s Office PIO
https://5starcarsinc.com/
