By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
It's not easy to shock Apopka.
We've seen a fire chief "retire" and later learn he was forced out.
We've seen a mayor censured by his commissioners, then try to get it reversed, fail, and then accuse a former commissioner of telling a City employee that he would drop the censure if the mayor promised not to run for re-election. That allegation, to date, has never been proven.
We have seen public comments moved to the back of the City Council meetings and the video turned off.
Unbelievably, those are but a few of the surprising twists and turns Apopka has endured over the last few years.
Yes, it takes a lot to shock Apopka, but Friday's event rose to that level.
That's the day Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson fired Jacob Smith, the city administrator. Nelson didn't inform the city commissioners, seek advice from the city attorney, or give Smith a reason for his termination.
In a text response to The Apopka Voice, both Nelson and Smith confirmed the termination, but neither offered a reason. Smith said he didn't know, and Nelson declined to answer the question.
Here are the details known so far:
Sometime Friday afternoon, Smith was terminated as Apopka City Administrator.
At 4:09 pm the Apopka Critic Facebook page, a local social media site with over 14,000 followers, posted the following statement:
"Breaking City news. Several City sources are reporting the firing of City Administrator Jacob Smith. The information is that Nelson terminated his employment today. This is sad for Apopka and Mr. Smith’s family who he brought to Apopka from Utah. The never ending revolving doors at City Hall should be troubling to the taxpayers. We now will have to honor Smiths contract with a several week payout."
At 5:12 pm, Smith sent this message to the commissioners:
"Just letting you know that I enjoyed working with you these past 10 months. You have had to deal with some difficult issues and politics in the City of Apopka and I admire your fortitude.
So you know, as of right now and without warning, I no longer work for Apopka. The mayor can unilaterally make the decision to hire and fire whoever he pleases. He has exercised that right today on me and with no explanation.
Please keep in touch. If you would be okay with being a job reference, please let me know. Also, if you know of any job opportunities in the area, that would be great too."
Smith also confirmed his termination in a text message to The Apopka Voice at 7:24 pm:
"Yes, I was terminated today," he said. "No notice, no warning, not even sure why."
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez, Commissioner Nick Nesta, and Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore expressed their surprise at Smith's termination in statements made in The Apopka Voice's Developing Story, published at 8pm.
The Apopka Voice also contacted Nelson and Commissioners Nadia Anderson and Alexander Smith on Friday, but they did not respond by the time that article was published.
Then, on Saturday, things got even a little weirder.
At 9:35 am, Alexander Smith responded by text:
"Nope, haven't heard that."
The question from the day before was, 'Do you happen to know anything about Jacob Smith being terminated?'
When asked about an email Jacob Smith sent last night to the commissioners, he said:
"I will go and check. I'm away from the house. When I get back I will check and see."
At 12:38 pm on Saturday, Nelson confirmed he had fired Smith in a text response to The Apopka Voice.
"Yes that is correct," he said.
In a follow-up question, The Apopka Voice asked, 'Can you say what the cause of his termination was?'
Nelson didn't respond as of the time of this publication.
At 3:59 pm on Saturday, The Apopka Voice texted Commissioner Smith:
It's been confirmed by Jacob Smith and Mayor Nelson. Do you want to comment on his (Jacob Smith's) termination?
"No, because I don't have any details," he said.
This developing story will be updated in future editions of The Apopka Voice as more details are known.
