From Staff Reports
In Summary:
Mayor Nick Nesta says leadership changes will help improve City Hall’s culture and move approximately $140 million in unfinished projects forward. His Oct. 21 remarks outlined a two-to-three-week timeline for assembling his team, but did not identify candidates or separate hiring schedules for city administrator, finance director, and chief of staff. The city administrator listing remains online after its application deadline, neither of the other positions is posted, and Public Information Director Steve Montiero did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
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Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta says a new leadership team will help Apopka move roughly $140 million in stalled projects forward. But the public hiring picture for three key positions remains incomplete: The city administrator application deadline has expired, and the city has not posted either the finance director or chief of staff position.
Related: Nesta proposes Apopka government restructuring; former campaign manager expresses interest in chief of staff role.
During the October 21 City Commission meeting, Nesta said he expected to put his leadership and support teams in place within two to three weeks. That would put his anticipated timeline in early to mid-November, although he did not name candidates or provide separate hiring schedules for the three positions.
“Moving forward, and once I get the leadership team and that true support team in place, in the next two to three weeks, we are going to see some incredible changes here in the city of Apopka,” Nesta said during the mayor's report at the October 21 city commission meeting.
The expired city administrator application period marks a step in that recruitment process, but it does not indicate whether interviews are underway or whether the city has selected a finalist. The lack of postings for finance director and chief of staff also leaves unanswered how and when Apopka will fill those positions.
Apopka Public Information Director Steve Montiero was contacted for comment on October 27 and 28 but did not respond by publication.
Nesta framed the coming personnel changes as part of a broader effort to change how City Hall operates. He said his priority is supporting employees and ensuring department heads understand the administration’s goals and have the resources to meet them.
“The biggest and most important way that I can impact the city positively is fixing our culture from within,” Nesta said.
He described a growing city whose government must adapt to a changing population and new demands.
“We are not the city of 1990, we are the city of 2026,” he said. “We are getting younger, more diverse, and wealthier, and we need to acknowledge that, and we need to start leading in that capacity.”
For Nesta, the connection between staffing and results is particularly evident in the city’s unfinished projects. He estimated that Apopka has approximately $140 million in projects “just sitting there” and said employees need additional support to carry them out.
“We need to understand that employees need the support and help to be able to get those jobs executed,” he said. “So, with that, there will be, like I had stated earlier, leadership changes coming up in the very near future.”
Nesta also drew on his experience as a commissioner, describing the frustration of approving projects and then watching them stall. He attributed those delays to a lack of deadlines, clear responsibility, and oversight.
“The biggest issue was nobody was there to set timelines, to have ownership, to make sure that it’s being done on time and under budget,” he said.
His remarks set an ambitious expectation for what residents should see after the leadership changes. Nesta predicted that a year from now, Apopka would look like “an entirely new city because projects are finally going to get done.”
He acknowledged that the changes could bring frustration, but said he was prepared to move forward.
“I have been called to make these changes happen,” Nesta said. “And again, a year from now, we are going to see the Apopka that we truly want, that truly represents everybody.”
For now, residents have a timeline from the mayor, a closed application period for city administrator, and no posted openings for finance director or chief of staff. How those three positions fit into the team Nesta expects to assemble in the coming weeks remains unanswered.
Key Points:
- Nesta said October 21 that he expected his leadership and support teams to be in place within two to three weeks.
- The city administrator listing remains on Apopka’s website, but the application deadline has passed.
- Neither the finance director nor chief of staff position is posted on the city website.
- Nesta linked leadership changes to employee support, clearer accountability and progress on approximately $140 million in projects.
- Public Information Director Steve Montiero did not respond to two requests for comment before publication.
