From Staff Reports
At its May 7th meeting, the Apopka City Council voted 4-1 to approve Resolution 2025-19, restoring public comments to earlier in the meeting as they had been under Resolution 2016-16.
In August 2024, Mayor Bryan Nelson removed the public comments from their usual position early in the City Council meeting to the end after the Mayor's Report. He also turned off the live feed.
At the September 4th meeting, Commissioner Nick Nesta made a motion to restore public comments to their usual position, and broadcast them on the City's YouTube page as it has for years. Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez seconded the motion, but Commissioners Nadia Anderson and Alexander Smith joined Nelson in voting against it, defeating the motion 3-2.
Related: A Legacy in Peril: Why Mayor Nelson should return public comments to its normal position in City Council meetings.
According to the agenda packet, Resolution 2025-19, drafted by the Mayor’s Office in coordination with city staff, proposes a series of updates to the city’s existing public comment policy, first established under Resolution 2016-16.
One of the most notable updates is establishing a dedicated Public Comment period at the beginning of each City Council meeting. This segment would be allocated 30 minutes and appear as the first item on every meeting agenda.
Under the proposed rules:
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Each speaker will be allotted three minutes to address the Council, provided they complete the required Intent to Speak form.
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If there is a high volume of citizens wishing to comment, individual speaking time may be reduced to two minutes to accommodate as many voices as possible.
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Groups of citizens speaking on the same issue may elect a spokesperson, who would be granted additional speaking time — one extra minute per group member, up to a maximum of six minutes.
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Public comment on individual agenda items will also be limited to three minutes per speaker.
Added to the resolution during the meeting:
- Restore public comments to the meeting's live feed.
Nelson, Commissioners Nadia Anderson, Alexander Smith, and Diane Velazquez voted in favor of the resolution. Nesta voted against, preferring Resolution 2016-16, which allowed four minutes per speaker and no limitation on the amount of time/speakers.
This developing story will be updated in a future edition of The Apopka Voice.
