Apopka's biggest story of 2017: A clear favorite emerges

It was a noteworthy year in Apopka. A mayor's race began. An iconic commissioner announced his retirement. Florida Hospital Apopka began a new era.

But which was the biggest story in Apopka in 2017?

The readers have decided.

For the past week, 453 readers of The Apopka Voice voted on the story that most captured the hearts and minds of the Apopka community. We started with 24 re-published stories at the end of December, but cut that list to 11 that stood out in reader interest, Facebook likes and website comments. Among those 11, we asked the readers to vote and decide on the winner, and one story was the overwhelming favorite.

Here are the top five results:

1. The New Errol project advances in the City Council 264 votes (58%)
2. Florida Hospital Apopka begins a new era 63 votes (14%)
3. The race for Apopka Mayor begins 36 votes (8%)
4. John Land is a giant in the Apopka community 33 votes (7%)
5. Richard Anderson agrees to plea deal 33 votes (7%)

Later today we will re-publish the New Errol article in its entirety and we will also include supporting articles related to the New Errol project leading up to the historic City Council vote. Thanks for your interest in the "Apopka's Biggest Story in 2017" poll, and thanks to the 453 readers who voted, and the thousands of you who read at least one of the articles leading up to the poll.