Montiero said the city sent an internal email Tuesday to all employees \u2014 and commissioners \u2014 to inform them of the hiring freeze and the reasons behind it. The similarly-worded public announcement was posted Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually has absolutely nothing to do with budget or any type of financial talks,\u201d he said. \u201cThe mayor\u2019s really focused on restructuring, at the moment, to make it more efficient.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of discrepancies that he\u2019s picked up over the last couple of months. And I think operating in an old-school mentality is not what Apopka needs at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montiero said Nesta is looking at the needs of staff to do their jobs and reshaping the organization chart to effectively do that. The announcement also said the decision is about being responsible with taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n
The freeze will not impact recruitment of a community development director, which the announcement said is an important leadership position for the city\u2019s future. The city asked for patience during this period from those who\u2019ve submitted applications for vacant positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf any commissioner wants to speak on this that\u2019s totally fine for them to do so, but at the end of the day the mayor\u2019s the full-time guy sitting here really trying to get into the minutia of everything here at the city,\u201d Montiero said.<\/p>\n
![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786637408_138_KKUB5ONJEFD6RFQSHJJDVWTVXE.jpg\")
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Red Huber\/Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n
Steven “Trooper Steve” Montiero’s hire and $180,000 salary as Apopka’s new PIO have raised some eyebrows. He previously worked for WKMG-Channel 6. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, the city announced Mayor Nick Nesta was implementing a hiring freeze through Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Montiero started his job with the city Monday. (Orlando Sentinel file)<\/p>\n
Commissioner Nadia Anderson is arguably the commission\u2019s most vocal critic of the preliminary budget\u2019s millions in new spending on positions. She has suggested the idea of a hiring freeze in recent commission meetings, citing Orlando\u2019s freeze<\/a> as an example.<\/p>\n Budget documents include about $8.54 million slotted for new positions with about $2.98 million saved from position reductions. Nesta has defended it as a matter of catching up on the city\u2019s needs after leaving positions vacant for too long and shifting those responsibilities to existing employees.<\/p>\n Reached by phone Wednesday evening, Anderson said she was disappointed to first learn about the freeze on social media. She said she\u2019s been unable to provide additional information to residents calling her with questions.<\/p>\n \u201cI have previously recommended mentioned on multiple occasions of the city implementing a hiring freeze as part of responsible fiscal management,\u201d she said. \u201cI would think at least we\u2019d have a discussion with the commission prior to this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she definitely plans to bring up the issue at the next regular commission meeting on Wednesday. She also said she\u2019s especially interested in what information Nesta has obtained \u2014 which commissioners don\u2019t yet have \u2014 that resulted in his decision.<\/p>\n As of 10 a.m. Thursday, the Facebook post announcing the freeze had 92 likes and 71 comments, while the one on Instagram had 12 likes and no comments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe elected Mayor Nesta because we need change for Apopka to move forward. This doesn\u2019t happen overnight,\u201d one commenter wrote. \u201cPlease be patient and continue to support the effort that goes into making these decisions.\u201d Another said, \u201cI\u2019m glad he\u2019s doing a deep dive into this. I\u2019d rather see him proactive than reactive!\u201d<\/p>\n