From Staff Reports
In Summary:
Apopka commissioners voted 4-1 to direct staff to revise the city's public-comment policy to provide four minutes per speaker and eliminate the 30-minute overall limit. The vote followed an extended discussion over balancing residents' opportunity to address their elected officials with the need to conduct city business efficiently. Mayor Nick Nesta also called for removing language that gives the mayor authority to determine that certain comments are irrelevant, duplicative, or otherwise subject to limitation.
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The Apopka City Commission voted 4-1 at its Wednesday meeting to move forward with changes that would give residents more time to speak during public comment and eliminate the overall 30-minute limit on the public-comment portion of meetings.
The commission directed staff to revise Resolution No. 2025-19 to increase the time allotted to individual speakers from three minutes to four minutes and remove the 30-minute cap. The revised policy will return to the commission for further review and final approval.
Commissioner Nadia Anderson (right).
Vice Mayor Diane Velázquez opposed the four-minute speaking limit but indicated she supported removing the overall cap. The motion passed 4-1.
The vote followed an extended, at times contentious, discussion among commissioners and residents over how much time speakers should receive, how meetings should be managed, and whether limits meant to keep meetings moving can unnecessarily restrict residents' ability to address their elected officials.
Commissioner Nadia Anderson made the motion to increase individual speaking time to four minutes and eliminate the overall cap. Earlier in the discussion, she said residents had been asking for additional time and argued that speakers sometimes struggle to fully present their concerns within three minutes.
“I’m actually glad we are adjusting this policy, and that we will implement a time policy that will extend the time from three minutes to four minutes,” Anderson said, adding that residents making presentations can feel rushed.
Sylvester Hall during pubic comments.
Velázquez said that three minutes has been sufficient under the current administration because speakers have generally been allowed to finish their thoughts rather than being cut off abruptly.
“I think that we’ve been running a very good public meeting," she said. "Our intention when we have these council meetings is to do the business of the city, and that’s important to me.”
She later said she believed the commission should maintain the three-minute limit while improving meeting professionalism and conduct.
Several residents urged commissioners to expand public-comment opportunities.
Leroy Bell during public comments.
Virginia Street said she had repeatedly asked commissioners to restore the four-minute limit and contrasted residents' limited speaking time with the longer presentations developers sometimes make before the commission.
“That one minute would make a difference for me,” Street said.
Rod Olsen also supported four minutes and called for eliminating the 30-minute cap altogether, arguing that public participation should not be constrained by an overall clock.
“There’s nothing more important than public comment," he said. "People coming before you are the most important thing, the reason. We’re the people that put you where you’re at right now, and we deserve the time.”
Mayor Nick Nesta and Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez.
During the discussion, Mayor Nick Nesta said he had opposed Resolution No. 2025-19 when he was a commissioner because of both the three-minute individual limit and the 30-minute overall cap. He also acknowledged the competing concern that a growing city has increasingly complex business to conduct during commission meetings.
“It was 18 meetings that I sat in Commissioner Baron’s seat and had to record (public comments) over and over and over and advocate nonstop for the residents, regardless of the content, regardless of what it was, to make sure that the public comment was heard. It was something that I’ve consistently fought for over and over. I advocated in 18 different meetings to make sure that happened. I was the only dissenting vote on this 2025-19 resolution because I did not agree with the 30-minute cap and the three-minute limit as well.”
The motion approved Wednesday directs the city to revise the policy to provide four minutes per speaker, eliminate the 30-minute overall cap and reconsider language governing what residents may discuss during public comment.
Key Points:
- The City Commission voted 4-1 to increase individual public comment from three minutes to four minutes.
- Commissioners also voted to eliminate the existing 30-minute overall cap on general public comment.
- Vice Mayor Diane Velázquez opposed increasing speakers to four minutes but supported eliminating the overall cap.
- Mayor Nick Nesta wants to remove additional language that allows the mayor to determine that some public comments are irrelevant, duplicative, or otherwise subject to restriction.
- The changes are not final and will return to the City Commission for further discussion, public comment, and final review.
PHOTOS BY ISABEL LECOMPTE (@ISASBEL.LECOMPTE), INTERNING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE APOPKA VOICE.
This is a developing story and will be updated in future editions of The Apopka Voice.
