OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is cracking down on illegal house parties at vacation rental properties ahead of Rolling Loud, announcing several arrests and promising a heavy law enforcement presence this weekend.
In a news conference Thursday morning, Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said the problem has reached epidemic levels on the county’s west side, where promoters are using short-term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo to host large, unauthorized gatherings.
“We’re not putting up with the nonsense. So we’re tired of our kids being shot,” Blackmon said.
According to the sheriff’s office, a 19-year-old Kissimmee man, Jeremiah Kelly-Alexander Richmond, was arrested Wednesday by the OCSO Fugitive Unit and U.S. Marshals on an outstanding warrant. Investigators said Richmond promoted and ran two illegal parties in 2026, where two teens were shot and killed. He was booked into Osceola County Jail with no bond.
“Richmond really is a cockroach. He’s in jail right now, and he’s currently still promoting parties for this weekend,” Blackmon said.
Separately, two 18-year-old women — Katty Francois and Neika St. Louis, both of Orlando — were arrested May 3 after a house party on Thunderbird Road in Kissimmee ended with a 17-year-old suffering a gunshot wound to his leg, the sheriff’s office said.
A 19-year-old Orlando man, Robert David White, 19, was also arrested at the party on felony charges. A responding deputy stopped White outside the residence as he carried a backpack. A criminal history check revealed White had been charged earlier this year with unlawful possession of a firearm by the Orlando Police Department. Blackmon adds as the investigation continues, no arrest have been made for the separate shootings or homicides.
Blackmon said roughly 80 Florida Highway Patrol troopers will join Osceola County deputies this weekend to shut down illegal gatherings.
“There’s 46,000 units on the Airbnb platform in Osceola County,” officials said, adding they have also spoken with Airbnb representatives locally.
“If you’ve got a party, expect to see the blue lights,” Blackmon said.
The sheriff also urged parents to monitor their children’s whereabouts and social media activity, warning that illegal parties have been linked to sexual battery cases and two teen murders this year.
Some residents say the noise and disruption from these parties have become difficult to tolerate.
“We had a problem last year when we were here. We had to call the police,” one woman said about the loud illegal parties at rentals.
Another resident said stronger enforcement is necessary before situations escalate further.
“It’s important to me that we crack down on that (illegal parties) just because you never know what could happen. Things are fun until they’re not,” she said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimeline or the OCSO Criminal Investigation Division.