By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
Apopka City Commissioner Nick Nesta and Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore will advance to a runoff election on April 14 after defeating incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson in the 2026 Mayoral election.
According to unofficial results from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections, Nesta received 3,365 votes (41.62%), while Moore finished with 2,574 votes (31.83%), and Nelson placed third with 2,174 votes (26.55%).
Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers, Moore and Nesta, will face each other in the April runoff to determine who will serve as Apopka’s next mayor.
Seat 1
In the Seat 1 race, Apopka City Commissioner Sam Ruth defeated two-term commissioner Alexander H. Smith.
Ruth received 3,933 votes (51.33%), while Smith finished with 3,728 votes (48.67%).
Seat 2
In Seat 2, Commissioner Diane Velazquez won reelection in a decisive victory.
Velazquez received 4,985 votes (57.96%), defeating Angela Turner, who received 1,736 votes (22.43%), and George Smith, who received 1,517 votes (19.6%).
Seat 4
In the Seat 4 special election, Yesenia Baron narrowly defeated Malika Harrison.
Baron received 3,828 votes (51.27%), while Harrison received 3,639 votes (48.73%).
Charter Amendments
Apopka voters also weighed in on proposed changes to the city charter.
Voters approved a measure that keeps Apopka’s strong mayor form of government, with 4,389 voters (57.03%) supporting the system, compared to 3,307 voters (42.97%) who favored moving to a town manager form of government.
Voters also approved a two-term limit for City Council members, limiting elected officials to eight years in office.
Turnout
Turnout broke records both in percentage and total votes. 8,109 voters cast ballots, which is 20.95% of registered voters,
Approximately 2,909 voters cast ballots on Election Day, with the remainder voting early or by mail.
What happens next
With no candidate receiving a majority in the mayoral race, attention will now shift to the April 14th runoff between Nesta and Moore.
This is breaking news and will be updated as more information becomes available.
