In Summary:
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez said she saw a proposed organizational chart before learning of the dismissals by email Friday. Nadia Anderson questioned the decisions and called for more information, while Yesenia Baron and Sam Ruth said personnel decisions fall within the mayor’s authority. The city attributed the dismissals to a reorganization but has not publicly detailed how it will handle Williams’ and Sherman’s responsibilities.
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Apopka’s four city commissioners have responded to Mayor Nick Nesta’s decision to remove interim City Administrator Radley Williams and Finance Director Blanche Sherman. Their statements differ on the dismissals, but each points to the same question now facing City Hall: how the administration will reorganize and explain what comes next.
Related: Apopka approves firefighter contract with $12,000 first-year base pay increase.
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez said she received an email about the terminations at the end of the workday Friday, September 25. Earlier that week, she had met individually with Brian Mater of the mayor’s transition team, who showed her a proposed city organizational chart. She said Mater discussed the plan to reorganize staff but did not mention that anyone would be dismissed.
“I welcomed learning of the intention to re-organize the City Personnel and not learning via social media,” Velazquez said. She has previously complained about finding out about City Hall developments through social media rather than directly from the administration.
According to Velazquez, Mater described a system in which city staff and commissioners’ requests flowed through the interim city administrator, placing too many decisions and follow-up tasks with one person. She understood the proposed chart as an attempt to change that structure.
Velazquez also placed the changes in the context of her experience under three mayors. She said it is common for a newly elected strong mayor to assemble a team capable of carrying out the administration’s plans. She recalled staff changes under former mayors Joe Kilsheimer and Bryan Nelson and described her own working relationships with their administrations. Her account of Nelson’s tenure included allegations that employees felt intimidated; those observations were part of her statement, rather than an explanation offered by the city for the current decisions.
Commissioner Nadia Anderson was more critical. She called Williams “a tremendous asset” and said his removal raises questions about why experienced leadership is leaving during Nesta’s restructuring.
Anderson expressed particular concern about Sherman, who previously alleged that Nesta, then a commissioner, had harassed and targeted her over her work. Nesta denied those allegations during the mayoral campaign, describing his scrutiny of city finances and documents as part of his responsibility as a commissioner.
“Given that history, residents have every right to ask whether retaliation played any role in this decision,” Anderson said. She called for the administration to disclose its reasons for the dismissals, who will take on the officials’ responsibilities, the salaries attached to any new positions, and the qualifications of future hires.
Commissioner Yesenia Baron said the mayor acted within the authority voters gave him under Apopka’s strong-mayor form of government. She thanked Williams and Sherman for their service and said commissioners should continue to scrutinize the city’s finances and operations through the transition.
“As a Commissioner, my responsibility is to continue asking questions, remain fiscally responsible, and advocate for transparency and accountability,” Baron said. “My focus remains on our residents, maintaining stability, and working together to move Apopka forward.”
Commissioner Sam Ruth also supported the mayor’s authority over the decision. Asked specifically about Williams and Sherman, he said, “That’s a Mayor decision, and I support the Mayor.”
Ruth used his broader statement to urge the administration to gather department heads, hear employees’ concerns, and set clear expectations. He said city spending should prioritize public safety, infrastructure, adequate staffing and maintenance, while reducing unnecessary overtime.
“For too long, there has been uncertainty about the direction and priorities of our city,” Ruth said. “This transition provides an opportunity to reset expectations, strengthen accountability, improve communication between departments, and make certain taxpayer dollars are being spent where they provide the greatest public benefit.”
An email from Human Resources Director Joe Patton to commissioners said Williams and Sherman were placed on paid administrative leave and would be separated from city employment effective October 1 because of a reorganization. They were offered six weeks of paid severance and time to review the offer. The administration has not publicly explained how it will assign their duties under the proposed structure.
