The Apopka Voice

1 week ago | theapopkavoice.com | Charles Marohn

As a young engineer, I used to sit in city council chambers during budget season, doing my best to help the cities I worked with figure out what to do next. These were communities I cared about, places I wanted to see thrive. But the meetings themselves were often bewildering. People would ask questions that seemed simple—How much debt do we have? What’s in the rainy day fund? Can we afford this project?—and the answers would be vague or nonexistent.

2 weeks ago | theapopkavoice.com | Barbara Rodriguez

The rise in vaccine hesitancy and declining childhood vaccination rates has significant implications for Florida, Orange County, and Apopka, especially when protecting vulnerable populations and maintaining public health safety. Related: Flu deaths rise as anti-vaccine disinformation takes root. Florida has already seen political and cultural shifts influencing public attitudes toward vaccines, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 weeks ago | theapopkavoice.com | Reggie Connell

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued a Consent Order to the City of Apopka for violations at its Golden Gem water storage facility. First posted on the Apopka Critic Facebook page on Friday, the Order is dated April 2nd, 2025, and addressed to Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson. It outlines three violations, a fine, dozens of conditions to mitigate the issues at Golden Gem, and a timeline of actions the City must comply with that stretches almost two years into the future.

3 weeks ago | theapopkavoice.com | Reggie Connell

The Apopka City Council reviewed former city administrator Jacob Smith's contract at its April 2nd meeting, but a vote was never taken, and the reason for the agenda item was never made clear. "I guess the question is, why is this in front of us at this point?" Commissioner Nick Nesta asked. "Well, I'm gonna go ahead and just read you a statement," Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson responded, unmasking what appeared to be the true reason for the agenda item.

4 weeks ago | theapopkavoice.com | Jackie Llanos

“Tag, you’re it,” the crowd at the Florida Capitol complex shouted to call on the next generation of leaders to advance voting rights, a duty they said the late Democratic Sen. Geraldine Thompson has passed on to others. Ocoee Democratic Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis came up with the chant that took hold of the Wednesday press conference, calling for the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass a Florida Voting Rights Act.