By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
At the Apopka City Council's August 7th meeting, Mayor Bryan Nelson moved the public comments section from the front of the agenda to the very last item after the Mayor's Report. He also ordered that the live feed be turned off.
And now, after three votes, that's where it will stay.
At the November 6th meeting, Commissioner Nick Nesta made a motion to move public comments back to their previous agenda position after presentations and restore them to the live feed on the City's YouTube page.
"I'm not gonna let this one go," said Nesta. "I'm going to move (make a motion), and hopefully, Vice Mayor, you will back me on this to restore public comment to the front of the agenda."
"Well, I will tell you I have been consistent with that," Velazquez said. "I feel that public comment should come back in some form during the public council meeting because at the end, the live feed is cut off, and the public doesn't have access to hear our public, share any of their concerns, or any of their issues. We just have to decide if we want to have it after the presentations or after the business items, which was suggested. I feel that it is an important issue we've not been addressing. I know it's been voted on, but the motion has been made twice. I've seconded it, and it's failed. So we'll try again. I'll second that motion."
And like the previous two attempts, Commissioners Nadia Anderson and Alexander Smith joined Mayor Bryan Nelson in voting against it, defeating the motion 3-2.
After the vote, Nesta had one follow-up question for Nelson.
"Mayor, you are going to cut the live feed again, and are you going to do that in perpetuity to silence the residents?" Nesta asked.
"Yes," Nelson said.
"Got it," Nesta said. "Weaponizing your agenda. Understood. Thank you."
It was also the third time that Nelson, Anderson, and Smith did not explain their reasons for voting "no" on the motion, except for one reference by Smith two months ago.
At the September 4th meeting, Nesta asked Smith if he agreed with stopping recording public comments as part of the live feed.
"Yes, as long as the audio is still going," Smith said. "That's all that is required."
As an alternative to watching and listening to public comments in real-time on the City's YouTube live feed, the City offers the option of requesting a copy of the audio of public comments through a public records request.
The next Apopka City Council meeting is November 20th.
