By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
Many of you know about my passion for golf. It's a demanding sport that allows players to use up to 14 clubs in a round. And on a challenging course, I'll use almost all of them. A carpenter's tool chest is similar. He won't just choose a hammer or saw. He'll utilize the best tool for each task.
So why can't the Apopka City Council use all the tools at its disposal?
During the now-past budget cycle, it had a chance to make a bold investment in the future of this growing city. Instead, it chose the safe, politically convenient path. The path of least resistance. The path of lowering the millage rate by a quarter mill. The path of hoarding $30 million in reserves while its city is left wanting.
That decision may feel good today, but it comes at a steep cost in future years.
Let's put that decision in perspective:
- The Apopka City Council voted 5-0 to drop the millage rate from 4.6876 to 4.4376... or a quarter mill.
- A quarter mill is $0.25 per $1,000 taxable value.
- The average home value in Apopka is assessed at $385,000
- That means the average homeowner in Apopka will save $96.25 on their property tax bill.
'Well, that's not a lot, but it's something,' you might say. And it's true. Keeping taxes low is essential in a City's toolbox, but was there a better tool to be used? What was lost from the quarter mill reduction?
In this instance, keeping the millage rate as it was would have increased the City's revenues by approximately $1.8 million.
"I guarantee you no one else in Central Florida cut their taxes," said Mayor Bryan Nelson.
For the past eight years, the theme has been boasting about the low millage rate while growth continues to get out in front of the City by way of roads, utilities, and the often talked about, with little progress, public safety building. That, however, is only a fraction of the tools available to this Council that they choose not to utilize.
Apopka's General Fund for 2025–26 sits at roughly $108.9 million, with reserves totaling about $30 million. That means nearly 28% of the City's budget is sitting untouched in reserve funds—well above its own policy requirement of 25%, and significantly higher than the State of Florida's recommended minimum of 17%.
Right now, Apopka is holding about $11.5 million more than the state says is necessary. Let me repeat that... Apopka is holding $11.5 million more than the STATE says is necessary. This is a state government that alleges Orange County and Jacksonville overspent by $200 million in the last 10 years.
$11.5 million over what they find to be a safe reserve amount.
If Apopka were to drop down to that 17% threshold, reserves would total about $18.5 million. That's still fiscally responsible. It's still prudent. And it would still give Apopka a cushion in case of emergencies.
And speaking of emergencies, can you remember one in the last eight years when the City needed to draw millions out of reserves to save the day? My only recollection was the $4.7 million it spent on Camp Wewa—though that was hardly an emergency, and we all know how that turned out.
Counting the quarter-mill and additional reserves, Apopka could have had $13.3 million on hand to address the many issues it faces. That is money the Council could have deployed into projects that would actually shape Apopka's future. Instead, it voted to give the average homeowner a savings of $96 per year—less than $2 a week. That is what Apopka's leadership decided was more important than investing in our City's long-term future.
Imagine, just for a moment, if the City Council had left the millage rate where it was and committed that surplus money to serious, transformative investments.
What if Apopka finally launched a comprehensive program to address homelessness? We see it every day—in our parks, along our streets, and in our neighborhoods. This is not a problem that will magically go away. It requires investment, coordination with nonprofits and faith-based groups, and a sustained effort to provide housing and services. Yes, Matthew's Hope is bringing a bus to house people experiencing homelessness on a night-to-night basis is a start. That's certainly a start, but it's only part of the solution.
What if we took meaningful steps toward annexing South Apopka?
That community has lived in a gray zone adjacent to Apopka for decades, but not a part of it. An enclave. Receiving fewer services, watching growth pass them by. Annexation would not be easy, but it is the right thing to do. It is also the smart thing to do. A growing city cannot afford to leave entire neighborhoods behind. That extra quarter-mill and inflated reserve amounts could help the City build the infrastructure and transition plans to finally make South Apopka part of the city that surrounds it.
Commissioner Alexander Smith, I have quoted you many times on this, but perhaps once more will be the charm.
Years ago, you said you would be willing to spend $10 million in general fund reserves to annex South Apopka. A couple of years later, you doubled down on that claim. You must mean it, yet I haven't heard anything about annexation from you in quite a while. I did hear Mayor Nelson bring it up as a throw-in on the ballot, along with charter amendments, but we all know that wasn't a serious notion.
I don't think annexing South Apopka would cost $10 million. Still, I do think we should have formed a committee to study the issue, funded out of this budget, and a significant amount earmarked for annexation should the committee find it viable. I recall you calling for something similar to that a few years ago.
What if Apopka invested in a plan to finally build a downtown it could be proud of? For almost 10 years, the Apopka City Center project has been the poster child for stalled development and underperformance. You have a talented new economic development director to spearhead the plan. You would have had $13.3 million from the quarter mill, and unnecessary reserves that the City could use to jump-start the effort.
What if we strengthened our utilities and infrastructure before it is too late? Growth is not slowing down in Apopka. Our roads, water systems, and utilities are under increasing strain. Ignoring this now will cost us more later—in repairs, lost opportunities, and quality of life.
To be sure, fiscal discipline matters. That is why reserve funds exist. Florida is no stranger to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Apopka must always be prepared for the unexpected. But there is a difference between discipline and timidity. Discipline means holding enough reserves to weather a storm. Reserves are part of a City's toolbox. However, hoarding money at the expense of progress is timidity.
At 28% in reserves, Apopka is not being disciplined—it's being passive. And while we wait, the city's challenges only grow larger.
Here is the danger: opportunities missed today will cost more tomorrow. Homelessness grows harder to solve the longer it's ignored. Annexation becomes more complicated the longer it's delayed. Infrastructure grows more expensive the longer it's deferred. Economic development opportunities move to cities that are ready to act.
Apopka is no longer a sleepy little town. It's one of the fastest-growing cities in Central Florida. Growth is coming whether we like it or not. The question is whether we will shape that growth, or whether it will shape us.
The Council's vote to lower the millage rate was not just a small tax cut. It was a statement of priorities, clearly stating that short-term political comfort matters more than long-term vision.
Leadership is not about playing it safe or keeping voters happy with pocket change. It is about looking five, ten, twenty-five, or even fifty years into the future and making decisions today that will benefit the next generation.
That is what Apopka needed in this past budget. Instead, we got timidity disguised as fiscal responsibility. We got a Council unwilling to take political risks. Unwilling to seize the moment. Unwilling to invest in the very city they were elected to serve.
The truth is, Apopka had a golden opportunity. With reserves well above state guidelines, a growing tax base, and an urgent need for infrastructure, annexation, and economic development, the Council could have charted a bold course. It could have said, 'We are ready to lead. We are ready to invest. We are ready to build the Apopka of tomorrow.'
Instead, it said, 'Here's $96.'
Ronald Reagan famously asked America if they were better off after four years of his opponent's term. I have a different question for you, Apopka. After eight years and eight different cracks at the budget, how much different does the city look to you than it did in 2018?
That's the question you should be asking yourselves from now until March 2026.
