By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
In Summary:
Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson has filed a lawsuit in Orange County Circuit Court seeking to disqualify Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore from the 2026 mayoral ballot. The complaint alleges Moore failed to meet Apopka’s one-year residency requirement and improperly paid her qualifying fee, claims Moore strongly disputes.
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With election day fast approaching, the race for Apopka mayor has taken a surprising twist from campaigning in Apopka to a courtroom in Orlando.
Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson filed a legal challenge in the Orange County Circuit Court seeking to remove Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore from the ballot for Apopka’s 2026 mayoral election, raising questions about residency requirements and campaign qualification procedures. Nelson and Moore, along with Apopka City Commissioner, are running for the position.
Related: Apopka City Commissioner's residency challenged in lawsuit filed by resident.
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by Nelson.
“As a County Commissioner, Ms. Moore will be term-limited out of office this year. She is so desperate to find her next paycheck, she’s willing to break the laws to get on the ballot,” said Nelson in a statement emailed to The Apopka Voice. “What she is doing is illegal, which is why I have filed a lawsuit to ask for the courts to review the evidence. I believe they will see her actions have been improper as well and will remove her name from the ballot. We have laws for a reason. Commissioner Moore has not lived in the city for a year, as required by Charter. She also has not followed state law that requires only the campaign treasurer to sign her qualifying fee."
The complaint asks the court to declare Moore ineligible under the Apopka City Charter and Florida election law and to order city and county election officials to decertify her candidacy.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the Apopka City Charter’s requirement that mayoral candidates must have been residents of the city for at least one year prior to the election. Nelson alleges that Moore does not meet that requirement and, therefore, failed to properly qualify for office.
According to the filing, Moore owns multiple properties, including a residence on Palm Crest Drive, located outside the Apopka city limits, that carries a homestead exemption. The complaint asserts that Moore continued living at that property for nearly 90 days into the one-year residency window preceding the March 10, 2026, election. The lawsuit further alleges that Moore cannot legally claim residency at more than one property.
The complaint also references surveillance observations and property ownership records intended to support the residency claim.
In addition to residency, the lawsuit challenges how Moore paid her qualifying fee. Nelson alleges the payment was not made with a properly executed check drawn from Moore’s campaign account, as required by Florida law. The filing states that the check lacked the required authorization from the campaign treasurer and therefore did not meet statutory requirements.
Because of the alleged residency and qualifying-fee issues, Nelson argues Moore failed to legally qualify as a candidate and should be removed from the ballot.
The lawsuit asks the court to issue declaratory and injunctive relief, including:
- A declaration that Moore is ineligible to run for mayor
- An order directing Susan M. Bone, in her official capacity as Apopka City Clerk, to decertify Moore’s candidacy
- An order requiring Karen Castor Dentel, the Orange County Elections Supervisor, to remove Moore’s name from the ballot or refrain from counting votes cast for her if ballots have already been printed
The case was filed in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court and requests expedited consideration, given the approaching election.
Moore is confident Nelson's lawsuit will be unsuccessful.
"Bryan Nelson’s complaint is false and misleading. People get sued all the time, in fact, Mayor Nelson was the subject of similar criticism in 2018 after applying for annexation for his home and two other properties in his unincorporated neighborhood," she said in an emailed statement to The Apopka Voice. "Bryan Nelson did not cease his candidacy for Mayor due to complaints, and neither will I."
Moore pushed back on the allegations, saying she has long-standing ties to the community and took deliberate steps to establish residency within Apopka’s city limits before entering the mayor’s race.
"I am a 38-year resident of Orange County and Apopka. My children and grandchildren attended Apopka schools. Prior to deciding to run for Mayor of Apopka, I began looking for homes for purchase in the city limits. I secured the assistance of a professional, licensed realtor. I signed a lease at 75 W. Magnolia Street and completed numerous required residency documents. By mid-July, I moved with all my belongings from both the rental room and my 30-year-old property to 141 S. Central Ave. I’m in the process of filing for a homestead exemption, as the application window is in January. However, a homestead exemption is not required as proof of residency."
Sam Ruth, a former Apopka City Commissioner running for Seat #1 in this year's election, confirms he rented a room to Moore at his Magnolia Street home.
"I have a long-standing relationship with her (Moore)," Ruth said in a text response to The Apopka Voice. "She was the only person who helped me manage my very first campaign when I ran for City Commissioner 15 years ago. Because of that history and mutual respect, I was honored to offer her a temporary room until she closed on her home, where she now lives at Central and Second Street in downtown Apopka."
Moore also disputed the allegation that her qualifying fee payment violated state law, arguing that the check complied with filing requirements and characterizing the challenge as politically motivated.
"As to the check required per statute for qualifying for municipal races, it is not required that the check be signed by a treasurer. In fact, most of the other candidates filing for the Apopka city races also signed their own checks. If it had been a legal requirement, the Apopka Clerk would have had the opportunity to cure all the signatories. I believe Mayor Bryan Nelson should spend his time working on the myriad serious issues facing Apopka, rather than resorting to such bogus residency claims against his strongest competitor. My campaign is about slowing growth, improving infrastructure, improving downtown Apopka, and the other city neighborhood centers."
The Apopka municipal election is scheduled for March 10th with a runoff on April 14th if no candidate receives a majority of the vote.
Key Points:
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Mayor Bryan Nelson filed a legal challenge seeking to remove Christine Moore from the Apopka mayoral ballot.
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The lawsuit alleges Moore failed to meet the city’s one-year residency requirement and improperly paid her qualifying fee.
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Moore denies the allegations, citing long-standing ties to Apopka and steps taken to establish residency within city limits.
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Former Apopka City Commissioner Sam Ruth confirmed Moore temporarily rented a room at his Magnolia Street home.
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The Apopka municipal election is scheduled for March 10, with a runoff on April 14 if needed.
This is a developing story that will be updated in future editions of The Apopka Voice.
