A new chapter begins: Nelson, three commissioners take Oath of Office

I am completely humbled and honored to be here today. Thank you to my wife, Lauren, for being my strength. Thank you to my family and friends for your endless support. Thank you to all of the campaign supporters and volunteers for your time and hard work and thank you to the citizens for trusting and believing in me.”

Seat #4 Commissioner Nick Nesta

The Apopka City Council added a new chapter to its story on Tuesday with the inauguration of four members.

Before friends, family, supporters, and elected officials, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson, and Commissioners Nick Nesta, Alexander H. Smith, and Diane Velazquez took their oaths of office to join Commissioner Doug Bankson on the Apopka City Council.

Nesta becomes the ninth commissioner on the City Council since 2016.

The ceremony was held at the VFW/Apopka Community Center. Bankson emceed the event. There were no remarks made by the four members of Council after being sworn-in.

Nesta, the newly-elected Commissioner in Seat #4, sent the following statement about his official start on the Apopka City Council:

"I am completely humbled and honored to be here today. Thank you to my wife, Lauren, for being my strength. Thank you to my family and friends for your endless support. Thank you to all of the campaign supporters and volunteers for your time and hard work and thank you to the citizens for trusting and believing in me. Today is a culmination of all of our efforts and I am excited to officially get to work for you. Apopka is home. I grew up here and am now raising my two girls (who just celebrated their first birthdays two days ago) here. I look forward to enhancing the strengths Apopka already possesses and tackling the pain points that so desperately need to be addressed. I also invite you to review my Citizens Bill of Rights at NickforApopka.com and to hold me accountable to this. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” This city has so much potential and I know we can reach that potential together."

Velazquez also sent a statement to The Apopka Voice in support of the new Council. 

"As our new council term commences, I would first like to congratulate all of the candidates and incumbents that participated in our election cycle. I would also like to congratulate our newest Commissioner Nicholas Nesta. I wish him well and I am certain he will be a dedicated public servant. To our mayor, Mayor Bryan Nelson, and Commissioner Alexander Smith, I look forward to working with you to ensure that our decisions are always in favor of our city and the community we serve.
Most importantly, I would like to thank and express my gratitude to the community for supporting my re-election effort. Without the community’s trust, elected officials are not as effective as they should be. The Apopka community has given me an important responsibility that I take seriously and will not let them down. For the next four years, I will continue to work and promote the City of Apopka diligently. Apopka is our home, and caring for it is our priority. Thank you and bless you all."

The new version of the Apopka City Council will have its first meeting on May 4th.

The Apopka City Council: Commissioners Doug Bankson and Alexander H. Smith, Mayor Bryan Nelson, Commissioners Nick Nesta, and Diane Velazquez.