Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson
From Staff Reports
On Tuesday, February 24, six days before publishing its three-part investigative series “State of the City,” The Apopka Voice sent Mayor Bryan Nelson 18 detailed questions addressing concerns raised by seven current and former City of Apopka employees regarding staffing levels, budgeting practices, infrastructure maintenance, and internal management between 2023 and 2025.
Here is the email we sent, with the 18 questions that were included in that email listed at the end of this article:
"Mayor Nelson,
Over the past few weeks, The Apopka Voice was contacted by multiple current and former City of Apopka employees (primarily Public Services) who raised concerns about department operations, budget practices, staffing levels, infrastructure maintenance, and internal management during the 2023–2025 period.
Those initial conversations led to additional interviews with other current and former employees, as well as former administrative leadership.
Before publication, we want to ensure you have the opportunity to respond to the specific concerns and questions that have emerged during our reporting. It is important to us that your perspective and any factual clarifications you wish to provide are included.
Below is a list of questions related to these matters. If possible, we would appreciate a response to these questions or a general statement by Saturday, February 28, to allow time for inclusion prior to publication.
Thank you for your time.
On Tuesday, March 3, one day after part one was published, Nelson responded with a 365-word statement sent from his City of Apopka email address.
Below is the response by Nelson, in his own words:
"Sources on the Record should be the only ones that matter to an objective subscriber. Momtaz Barq should immediately be disqualified as a source for he gave Christine Moore my opponent a $1,000 campaign contribution and only stayed three weeks. Sure, smells like pay to play politics to me. Jacob Smith was relieved from duties because he failed to respond to the DOGE letter which put the City of Apopka in jeopardy of State sanctions. He even lied that he never received the DOGE emails but was proven wrong by our IT Department. Chuck Vavrek was a disgraced former Police Chief who used his position a head of Code Enforcement to buy a piece of property that had Code Enforcement liens on it and got an insider deal. Later Edward Bass felt sorry for Chuck and brought him back to help with MSBU’s(lighting and stormwater pond agreements) but never allowed him to reach back into the Police Department. As it was apparent that Edward was dying from cancer, I put Chuck in the Interim role until a permanent hire could be made with the understanding it would be a very short time. And I even brought Chuck for a second time to help with the MSBU’s even though he was not a true team player. And your last on-the-record source Greg Conant was never in a leadership position to help with forming any Parks and Recreation budget for his entire 28 years here in Apopka. You’re off the record female source from Public Services was terminated for falsifying records about $204,788 of work that wasn’t completed but she authorized payment for. It took us months to claw back the money from the Contractor but eventually we recovered all the money. Hopefully in Part 2 and 3 you will have credible on-the-record sources for “the timing is coincidental” report. I would also like to say that both of my opponents have advertised in this rag but due to subjective opinions that aren’t very accurate and very little news, I very rarely even respond and would never consider advertising which should give all your readers a reason to pause."
Respectfully yours,
Mayor Bryan Nelson
Editor's Note: Mayor Nelson was given the same opportunity extended to every elected official: to respond, clarify, dispute, or correct the record before publication. His statement is presented here in full so readers can weigh his words against the testimony of seven current and former employees and the documentation cited throughout this three-part investigation.
Here are the 18 questions The Apopka Voice sent to Mayor Nelson on February 24 in our email message, shared above:
1. Several current and former Public Services employees told The Apopka Voice that departmental budget requests were reduced internally before being presented at public hearings. Can you describe your role in shaping departmental budgets before they reach the commission?
2. Do you ever set informal budget ceilings for departments prior to public hearings? If so, how are those ceilings determined?
3. Multiple employees/department heads described infrastructure projects being deferred for years due to funding limitations. How do you determine which capital projects are delayed and which move forward?
4. Public Services staff have said growth in roads, stormwater systems, and utilities has not been matched with proportional staffing increases. Do you believe current staffing levels are sufficient to maintain the existing infrastructure? Is there any merit to their claims?
5. Regarding the Stormwater Fund, can you explain how restricted funds are protected from being used for unrelated purposes?
6. Can you explain why (or if) Apopka appears to frequently move funds between departments?
7. Several employees described what they called a “top-down” management culture within Public Services. How would you characterize your leadership style?
8. Have you ever directed department heads to present a budget publicly as sufficient, even when internal discussions indicated unmet needs?
9. Multiple employees described a noticeable shift in department culture after the retirement of former Public Services Director Deodat Budho. How would you describe morale within Public Services today?
10. There are claims that promotions have gone to individuals perceived as aligned with leadership rather than on the basis of qualifications. What is your involvement in departmental promotion decisions?
11. Employees have raised concerns about the occasional use of stormwater Vactor trucks in sanitary sewer systems. Are you aware of this practice, and if so, what safeguards are in place to prevent cross-contamination?
12. Were you aware of any roadkill disposal practices on privately owned property near Dream Lake? If so, what corrective actions were taken?
13. One former employee alleged that a GIS position was eliminated to reallocate funding to engineering. What role did you play in that staffing decision?
14. Several employees described infrastructure concerns, including stormwater pipes, pond maintenance, and delayed utility asset projects. Have you personally toured or inspected those sites? Why (or are) they being delayed?
15. How do you respond to the claim that infrastructure strain has been masked by budget presentations that appear balanced on paper but defer long-term maintenance?
16. What do you believe the employees/department heads who spoke to us misunderstood about your leadership, and what do you believe the public misunderstands about how the city operates?
17. Have you ever directed a department head to modify how data, maps, or project information is presented to the commission or the public?
18. Have you ever intervened directly in field operations, including directing employees in the field during storm response or infrastructure work?
