The Kissimmee Police Department has reinstated Wilson Muñoz, the department’s former deputy police chief, following a city-level grievance review that determined his termination did not comply with Florida law.
Muñoz was placed on administrative suspension in October 2025 and was formally terminated later that month after the department revisited his role in a prior use-of-force case involving former officer Andrew Baseggio.
That case stemmed from body-worn camera footage showing Baseggio kneeing a suspect in the face and deploying a Taser multiple times during an arrest. As a supervising commander at the time, Muñoz upheld a one-day suspension for Baseggio—a disciplinary decision that later became a focal point of internal scrutiny.
City records show Muñoz was served with a notice of intent to terminate following a second internal affairs case, which revisited his supervisory handling of the incident. Department leadership ultimately moved forward with his termination, citing concerns that the discipline imposed at the time was insufficient given the severity of the use of force.
City Manager Overturns Termination
In a memorandum dated December 10, 2025, City Manager Mike Steigerwald overturned Muñoz’s firing after reviewing his formal grievance and the investigative history of the case.
Steigerwald concluded that the department’s second internal investigation—used as the basis for termination—was not legally valid under Florida’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.
According to the memorandum, the original investigation into the Baseggio incident was conducted under mutual-aid authority and included an evaluation of Muñoz’s supervisory judgment. That investigation found his decision-making to be questionable but determined it did not rise to the level of misconduct or a policy violation.
Steigerwald ruled that the department could not reopen the matter or impose new discipline based on the same evidence after the original investigation had been completed and closed.
“As City Manager, I am required to ensure compliance with statutory mandates and the procedural protections afforded under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights,” Steigerwald wrote, concluding that the termination could not stand.
A City of Kissimmee spokesperson confirmed that while Muñoz has been reinstated, the effective date of his return has not yet been determined.
The reinstatement comes after a turbulent year for the Kissimmee Police Department, which has spent much of 2025 addressing the fallout from past use-of-force cases, leadership turnover, and broader concerns about internal culture and disciplinary consistency.
While the City Manager’s decision overturns the termination, the memorandum makes clear that reinstatement does not erase earlier findings related to supervisory judgment. Those observations remain part of the department’s historical record, even as city officials emphasized that legal limits prevent further discipline in this case.
City officials said the ruling reflects a legal determination rather than a re-evaluation of the underlying incident and underscores the requirement that internal investigations and disciplinary actions strictly follow state law.
