From Staff Reports
In Summary:
The Corradino Group will conduct a feasibility study examining how annexation could affect police, fire, utilities, parks, transportation, and other city services in South Apopka. Commissioners and residents voiced a range of perspectives during Wednesday's meeting, with supporters citing improved representation and service delivery while opponents raised concerns about higher costs and potential displacement. City officials said the study, which is required under Florida law before an involuntary annexation can be placed on the ballot, is expected to be completed in early August.
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Apopka just took the first step in a decades-long journey that may just bring South Apopka into its city limits.
From a pulled consent agenda item, the Apopka City Commission unanimously approved a $44,500 contract Wednesday for a South Apopka annexation feasibility study, advancing a process supporters say could help bridge decades of division between the city and its unincorporated neighbor.
Related: November/2025 - Annexing South Apopka requires better leadership - and the right timing.
The City selected The Corradino Group to conduct the study, which will evaluate whether annexing portions of unincorporated parts of Southern Apopka is financially and operationally feasible and assess potential impacts on residents and City services. The firm expects to begin work immediately and deliver a final report in early August.
Corradino Senior Planner Scarlett Hammonds said the study will analyze existing land use patterns, infrastructure, water and sewer expansion needs, service levels, financing options, and legal requirements under Florida law.
“The whole purpose of this study is to document current service levels within the study area against the city’s established level of service,” Hammonds said. “We’ll examine police, fire, water, sewer, trash, lights, street maintenance, parks, building inspections, zoning, planning, and government administration.”
The consultant will also work with Orange County to compare existing county services with those offered by the city.
After Hammonds' presentation, Commissioner Nadia Anderson questioned whether residents should be surveyed before or after the study is completed and emphasized the need for meaningful community input.
“If I were in the study area, I would want to know what that impact is, what it’s going to look like in order for me to make an educated decision,” she said. “I want to understand what we’re doing here.”
After receiving guidance from City Attorney Cliff Shepard, Mayor Nick Nesta said the study would help shape future outreach efforts.
“I guess what we’re doing is gathering the information, then we craft the survey from there," Nesta said.
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez urged the City to build on previous discussions rather than duplicate past work.
“We have a lot of documentation from different workshops,” Velazquez said. “The one thing I don’t want to see this group do is repeat something that we’ve already done. We’ve got feedback. But I think it’s important to have community input somewhere in here.”
The study also prompted a broader discussion about whether the City is relying too heavily on planning efforts while residents continue to face infrastructure challenges.
Commissioner Sam Ruth questioned how the study would address ongoing traffic concerns.
“We’re going to spend $45,000 between now and August, then we’re going to have another discussion that’s going to move us another $50,000 to go to December,” Ruth said. “What I’m trying to figure out is how that relieves the pressure at Michael Gladden and Apopka-Vineland (Roads) when they’re asking me, ‘You’re doing a study, and we need a traffic light. We need a traffic light at Cleveland and Apopka-Vineland,’ and we’re doing studies.”
Ruth said the process felt similar to past efforts that prioritized studies over action.
“It sounds like what we’ve been doing for the last eight years. We’re doing studies, but we’re not really doing anything that helps relieve everybody else’s issues. I’m just kind of curious how we got here.”
Anderson responded that the annexation effort began with residents who had repeatedly expressed interest in being Apopka residents.
“That’s how we got here, is that we had citizens that came in that wanted to be part of the city,” Anderson said.
Nesta added that discussions about South Apopka annexation have continued “for decades.”
Shepard explained that state law requires a feasibility study before an involuntary annexation can be placed on the ballot.
“If you’re going to take in an annexation area involuntarily, that’s the only way to do it,” he said. “Legally, the feasibility study has to happen for it to go on the ballot, period.”
While commissioners may later pursue surveys or additional outreach, Shepard said the city cannot use public resources to advocate for or against annexation.
“The most important thing about whatever you put in the survey, so everybody will accept results, is that it’s fair and balanced,” Shepard said. “Are my taxes going up? Are they staying the same? Am I getting better services? Is my EMS time quicker? Am I going to have more police, fewer police? Those are the kinds of questions the feasibility study is designed to answer.”
Public comment reflected the longstanding and passionate debate over annexation.
Kiyomi Jones urged commissioners to consider emergency response times, sharing the story of a friend whose daughter died while waiting for emergency services.
“Those minutes that people in South Apopka may not think about, it is life or death,” Jones said. “People may not agree until it’s you.”
Monique Morris said residents need direct, face-to-face engagement through trusted community institutions.
“A lot of the people are elderly. They don’t know about annexation. They’re just thinking, ‘They’re taking something away from me,’” Morris said. “If we’re educated to know what it is, then I think people will understand it better.”
Morris encouraged the city to partner with local churches and the South Apopka ministerial alliance.
“We definitely have to get out there and educate the people,” she said. “You can start with the churches.”
Francina Boykin, who opposes annexation, warned that bringing South Apopka into the city could increase costs and accelerate displacement.
“The proposed study to be funded by the City of Apopka to annex a certain defined section of unincorporated Southern Apopka into the city limits already reeks of unfairness,” Boykin said.
Boykin argued annexation could lead to “gentrification, higher property taxes, forced sewer hookups, and displacement of its residents.”
“Annexation of Southern Apopka unincorporated is not for the betterment of my community,” she said. “It is to the detriment.”
Leroy Bell offered a different perspective, arguing that South Apopka residents already contribute to the city's economy without having a voice in its government.
“Every time they send their kids to school from South Apopka, they send them to the City of Apopka,” Bell said. “Every time they get ready to buy groceries, where do they buy groceries? Not in Orlando. They buy it in Apopka. When they buy gas, when they buy clothes, they’re spending their money here.”
Bell rejected the argument that annexation would disproportionately burden residents on fixed incomes.
“The farce is that we keep saying it’s too expensive for people in South Apopka because they’re on fixed incomes,” Bell said. “There are just as many people in North Apopka on fixed incomes. It’s time to stop overlooking people and bring people together.”
Former Commissioner Alexander H. Smith, who made South Apopka annexation a priority during his time on the commission, said the study is necessary to provide residents with accurate information.
“It was 89 years ago when the law was passed that African Americans couldn’t live on this side of the tracks, and it’s sad that here we are 89 years later still talking about division,” Smith said.
Smith dismissed concerns that annexation would drive redevelopment pressures.
“When we talk about gentrification, if you ride through unincorporated Apopka today, you’ll find developers that have bought property in unincorporated Apopka, and they’re trying to sell those houses for $450,000,” he said. “It’s not about the city coming in and wanting to take their property. It’s being done already, and they’re in the county.”
“It’s time for us to stop kicking the can down the road, have this study done so we can provide the citizens with the information they need to answer their questions.”
The commission's vote sets the stage for additional discussions later this year about community outreach, resident surveys, and whether annexation should ultimately move to a vote of affected residents.
Key Points:
- The Apopka City Commission unanimously approved a $44,500 contract for a South Apopka annexation feasibility study.
- The Corradino Group will evaluate service levels, infrastructure needs, financing options, and legal requirements.
- City officials expect the study to be completed in early August.
- Supporters said annexation could improve representation and access to city services, while opponents warned of higher costs and displacement.
- Florida law requires a feasibility study before an involuntary annexation proposal can be placed on the ballot.
This developing story will be updated in future editions of The Apopka Voice.
