Apopka’s new mayor, Nick Nesta, won the job by a wide margin and looks to have most of the city’s commission on his side as he seeks to overhaul a city bureaucracy he thinks still operates like a small town.
But four months into his four-year term, his proposals have prompted controversy and questions, even from some supporters. The mayor, though, says his changes are for Apopka’s benefit, and he’s OK if it means he isn’t always well liked.
“So I’m not going to be a popular mayor, but I’m going to be one that 10 years from now they’re going to say, ‘Thank God he did what he did, thank God he took the beatings that he did because he did what was right’,” Nesta said in an interview about his first months on the job.
Nesta, 36, was on the Apopka city commission from 2022 until his election as mayor. But serving as chief executive of a city with about 63,000 residents — the second largest in Orange County — has given him new insight into Apopka’s operations.
“The biggest takeaway from my time in office so far is that the foundational work for this city to run efficiently and properly was never done,” Nesta said. “What people love about our city’s that we have that small-town feel, but we’ve been running as a small town, too, and we are not that anymore.”
Apopka has a disorganized bureaucracy, he said, and neither staff nor infrastructure have kept up with growth.
But he’s faced roadblocks as he moves to overhaul it.
Commissioner Nadia Anderson for weeks in July blocked his push to hike the city’s property tax rate, a move he said would help fund needed changes.
After two meetings failed to get the unanimous vote needed, Nesta’s staff presented a lower rate that didn’t need unanimous approval.
But it will mean far less tax revenue coming into city coffers next year. And a looming statewide vote in November asks residents if they want to slash property taxes, which if approved by 60% of voters would mean about $60 million less revenue for the city over the next five years.
Nesta’s new hires prompted controversy, too, including that of new communications director, Steven “Trooper Steve” Montiero — who’s $180,000 annual salary exceeds the $139,000 paid to the mayor. Nesta also plans to hire a chief of staff.
Nesta became mayor April 28 after he defeated former Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore in the April 14 runoff with about 62% of the vote. Former Mayor Bryan Nelson served eight years and sought a third term but failed to advance to the runoff.
Leroy Bell, a well-known Apopka activist who frequently speaks at meetings, was no fan of the previous mayor. In fact, he campaigned for Nesta and served on his mayoral transition team.
But at recent commission meetings, he’s often boisterously raised concerns about Nesta’s spending plans.
Bell said he believes Nesta isn’t keeping some commitments made during his campaign, among them transparency on city finances.
“I just want the young man to do what he said he was going to do, that’s it, point blank — give us the forensic audit.”
When reached Friday, Montiero said the city has started its own in-house audit of accounts. He said the city has reached out to the state with a request to look it over and provide further direction.
At the Aug. 19 commission meeting, Apopka resident Rod Olsen also urged city leaders to be wary of “uncontrollable spending.”
“Every dollar in this budget belongs to us citizens, this is our money,” Olsen said. “I believe every cost center should be justified, every existing position needs to be reviewed, every new proposed position needs to be justified.”
Nick Nesta, who took office as Apopka’s new mayor April 28, 2026, sits with his wife, Lauren, and their twin daughters. Nesta served as a city commissioner since 2022 and won the mayor’s job April 14 by a wide margin in a runoff against former Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore. (Courtesy of city of Apopka)
Nesta has defended millions proposed for new staff as a matter of catching up on the growing city’s needs after leaving many positions vacant far too long — and spending millions on overtime. Plus he said Montiero is vital in refining how the city gets information to residents.
But Aug. 11 he announced a short hiring freeze for most vacant positions through Oct. 1 — the start of the new fiscal year.
Apopka started growing quickly in the years between 1999 and 2008 because there was land available and the area was affordable. The city welcomed the development and corresponding increases to its tax base, he said, but didn’t plan for future costs of that growth. And the longer projects are delayed, the more they cost.
“That’s what I’m dealing with right now … the fact that 10 to 15 years ago no plan was put in place, no money was set aside,” Nesta said.
He said one of his priorities is access to water — especially on the northern side where residents can’t get enough reclaimed water for watering lawns and gardens because the underground pipe that carries it there is too small. The city plans to replace it with a larger pipe at a cost of about $3 million.
“We’ve been prioritizing making sure developments can get water, no problem, but my current residents are having water-pressure issues,” Nesta said. “Development’s not the issue, it’s our lack of planning.”
He said the city needs to prioritize spending — which boils down to what residents see as the priorities.
“Are we in charge of running events, and offering grant funding, and doing parades and Christmas lights and all that?” he asked about what residents want from the city. “If yes, then I need more money to do that.”
Nesta has lived in Apopka since his family moved here when he was a child in the early 1990s, a time when the city population was around 15,000. He met his wife, Lauren, here and they have young twin daughters. He’s a graduate of the University of Central Florida and started his business here — Nesta Real Estate Consultants.