By Joseph Wiedeman, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
In Summary:
Apopka commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with a South Apopka annexation proposal, with county approval required before an intended March 2028 referendum. A Corradino Group feasibility study prompted disagreement over projected costs and whether omitted revenue sources overstated a potential $5.5 million funding gap. The discussion also addressed community involvement, infrastructure needs, and residents’ opposition.
*****
The Apopka City Commission voted unanimously at its Wednesday meeting to move forward with the proposed annexation of South Apopka, despite a feasibility study identifying a potential $5.5 million funding gap. The proposal moves on to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners before proceeding to a referendum in March 2028.
The discussion was contentious despite the unanimous vote. Edward Ng, representing the Corradino Group, which conducted the annexation feasibility study, said annexation would leave the city with a significant budget gap but that there were ways to address it.
“There is substantial investment required,” Ng said. “ The projected property taxes revenue falls WELL short of the estimated surge costs. They’re big numbers, so that is something to be considered.”
Commissioner Yesenia Baron supported scheduling the referendum for March 2028 rather than March 2027, allowing more time before voters would consider the proposal.
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez asked whether the study had included any meetings with the more than 4,000 residents in the proposed annexation area. However, Ng said the study was a factual analysis that did not include community meetings in its scope.
Commissioner Nadia Anderson questioned the report's findings.
“Throughout the report, you said there was certain information that was assumptions,” Anderson said. “I guess where my concern comes in is that the $5.5 million deficit does not include potential income from utility fees, communication service tax, local tax, or state revenue. Is there a reason we could not make an assumption with that annual income?”
Ng explained that the firm lacked sufficient information from the city to estimate utility fee revenue. He said other potential revenue sources were subject to negotiation or uncertainty, and the company had taken a conservative approach.
“You said more conservative, but you didn't include any potential income from that,” Anderson responded. “Conservative means you put at least a number in there, not zero.”
Ng said including uncertain revenue estimates could give commissioners a misleading picture of the funding gap. Anderson disagreed, arguing that excluding those revenues already made the projected shortfall appear larger than it might ultimately be.
“To me the report is just flawed,” Anderson said. “It is not a true report of the income coming in.”
“These are based on a lot of assumptions,” Mayor Nick Nesta said. “We can change the assumptions however we'd like to craft a narrative one way or the other. We can edit it or change it however you like, but I don’t think we need to.”
Nesta compared the study to a property valuation and said the city would not incur all of the anticipated investment costs at once. He described a gradual buildout rather than an immediate $30 million expenditure and supported Baron’s preference for a March 2028 referendum.
Francina Boykin, a local Apopka historian, described the Corradino Group study as a starting point for understanding annexation. She also presented commissioners with a petition opposing the proposal.
“It is a huge undertaking for the residents living in southern unincorporated Apopka,” Boykin said. “As well as for the city. I’ve always felt there’s some ulterior motive that the city of Apopka wants a deprived and depressed neighborhood.”
Boykin said she was speaking on behalf of South Apopka residents and acknowledged that the community had needs to address. She said she had gathered more than 100 signatures opposing annexation in 24 hours.
“Study or no study, there’s a lot of questions that need to be answered regardless of the study,” Boykin said. “Why now? Almost 80 years ago it was the city of Apopka that passed an ordinance prohibiting black people from living north of the railroad tracks. It went on until the 80s.”
Boykin’s comments raised Apopka’s history of racial discrimination. In the 1981 civil case Dowdell v. City of Apopka, a federal court found that the city violated Black residents’ constitutional and statutory rights through discrimination in street paving and maintenance, stormwater drainage, and water distribution. law.justia.com.
Former Commissioner Alexander Smith also said that despite Black residents' victory in the lawsuit against the city, nothing has changed.
“That lawsuit was 45 years ago,” Smith explained. “And here we are 45 years later still discussing the same issue. Our excuse for the past 8 years was that we needed to get this study done; now that it’s feasible, we no longer have an excuse.”
Smith explained that his own numbers indicate individuals in the area will save money in taxes through annexation and that the city needs to bring itself to 2026, not remain in 1932.
"We don't want to keep putting out scare tactics," Smith continued. "Money is still available [from the state]; it's all about partnerships. There are federal dollars that can be used to offset the additional expense for annexation."
Baron also expressed her support for moving forward.
“I am one of the people that voted for that feasibility study,” Baron said. “And it's because I have seen for years this area to be disenfranchised and underserved. I don't want gentrification; I want residents to have the proper infrastructure. We are in 2026.”
Baron also raised concerns about the potential implications of Amendment 3 and suggested delaying until after November’s election.
After further discussion, the commission unanimously agreed to advance the proposal to Orange County, with a March 2028 referendum as the intended next step.
Five key points:
- Commissioners unanimously voted to advance the annexation proposal, rather than finalize annexation.
- The proposal would proceed to Orange County consideration before an intended March 2028 referendum.
- The feasibility study identified a potential $5.5 million funding gap, which Commissioner Nadia Anderson challenged.
- The study did not include community meetings, prompting questions about input from more than 4,000 affected residents.
- Francina Boykin presented a petition with more than 100 signatures opposing annexation.
PHOTO BY ISABEL LECOMPTE (@ISASBEL.LECOMPTE), INTERNING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE APOPKA VOICE.
