Biggest Apopka stories of 2016: Kilsheimer delivers State of the City Address

Editor’s Note: This is the 19th in a series of articles published by The Apopka Voice in 2016 that were the most noteworthy events of the year. The Apopka Voice will publish them starting Monday, December 26th and running until Sunday, January 1st. On January, 2nd we will publish a poll and let the readers decide on which story is the most impactful of the year.

Kilsheimer: "The state of the City is strong"

Mayor Joe Kilsheimer spoke this morning for approximately 35 minutes, laying out his accomplishments while in office and his vision for the future. The approximately 5,000-word State of the City address touched on several issues including business in Apopka, municipal government, public safety, city finances, grants, economic development, The City Center, The Highland Manor, growth, education, and even the environment.

Kilsheimer opened his speech with a list of what has happened in Apopka during his term in office. Much of it focused on job creation and business successes.

"Now, on to the big question. What has Apopka accomplished in the past two years since I was elected Mayor?" Kilsheimer asked. "Well, let me tell you: We’ve been doing quite a lot. Some of those efforts have been high profile; others, perhaps are not quite so high profile, but nonetheless deeply vital for the future success of the City of Apopka. And in fact, “success” is the key word on which I’d like to focus. Because I believe that the task at hand – and my time in office – is about setting Apopka up for success. So, let’s start with the basics: The State of Our City is strong. We are creating a solid foundation to build a very successful future. Business is growing in Apopka, thanks to a growing economy, an expanding roadway network, our location in Central Florida, and a population of nearly 50,000 residents."

Kilsheimer detailed several examples of Apopka moving forward in business on his watch.

• Florida Hospital Apopka will open in November 2017, adding 300 high-paying jobs.
• The Northwest Distribution center will open two large, new buildings next year that will accommodate more than 200 jobs.
• An economic development incentive package to encourage a 33,000-square-foot facility expansion and 100 new jobs at Qorvo, a company with a Global marketplace that has had a presence in Apopka for nearly 30 years.
• All totaled, the Development of more than two dozen business projects during Kilsheimer's time on office will create an estimated 900 jobs and more than 624,000 square feet of taxable property improvements.

"That's a good beginning, but we are just getting started," said Kilsheimer. "Apopka is more than an ideal location for new and growing businesses. Home construction also is improving this year – up 16 percent from 2015 with 324 new single-family homes.