In a shake-up of the upper echelons of city leadership, Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta ousted the finance director and interim city administrator as he restructures the administration.<\/p>\n
Radley Williams, interim city administrator, and Finance Director Blanche Sherman were \u201cseparated from employment\u201d and placed on administrative leave Friday, according to an email sent to city commissioners on behalf of the mayor by Joe Patton, human resources director. The email stated their leave would last until Thursday, their effective last day of employment with the city.<\/p>\n
Patton\u2019s email said the dismissals were \u201cdue to reorganization\u201d and each was offered a six-week severance package. They have not yet accepted it, choosing instead to take time to review the offer as allowed by law.<\/p>\n
Phone calls and messages left for Sherman and Williams on Tuesday were not returned.<\/p>\n
Nesta did not want to comment on the dismissals Tuesday, but he briefly addressed it Monday evening during an hourlong Mayor\u2019s Town Hall<\/a> at City Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was obviously some changes to the organization last week, I\u2019m not going to address it more than that,\u201d he told the dozens in attendance. \u201cFeel free to say what you need to say but I won\u2019t be answering any questions specific to the changes that happened last Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams joined the city in 2022 as recreation director, later taking the interim administrator role after Jacob Smith was fired early last year by then-Mayor Bryan Nelson. Nelson failed to get support<\/a> last year from commissioners to put Williams in the role permanently in the wake of a social media kerfuffle over his qualifications. He was paid $241,055 annually.<\/p>\n Sherman joined the city as finance director after Gladymir Ortega resigned in August 2022 after serving in the post for a little over a year. She was paid $221,588 annually.<\/p>\n Nelson told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that Sherman had alleged in a November 2025 email that she was experiencing ongoing harassment and disrespectful treatment from Nesta. He said the information was retained by the city but not released publicly at that time.<\/p>\n \u201cShe sent me the letter only because she was afraid that he would try to have her removed from her position,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n Nesta had no comment on Nelson\u2019s claims Tuesday.<\/p>\n Steven Montiero, the city\u2019s public information director, said by email Tuesday that during the interim period staff is regrouping and responsibilities have been assigned accordingly. Nesta and senior staff have taken on some day-to-day responsibilities until the administrator position is filled, he said.<\/p>\n