By Apopka City Commissioner Nick Nesta
The motion was made by me (Commissioner Nick Nesta) to continue, as historically and properly done, to live stream the Public Comments section of the City of Apopka Council Meeting Agenda.
Commissioner Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez did submit a second to the motion and was dismissed without merit by Commissioner Nadia Anderson, Commissioner Alexander Smith and current censured Mayor Bryan Nelson.
The majority on the Council (Nelson with Anderson and Smith) continue to work to silence, intimidate and censor the voice of residents.
We have many residents that cannot attend the meetings for various reasons (scheduling, health, fear, etc.,) and learn about issues going on in their neighborhoods as well as new positive initiatives being implemented by many organizations throughout our community via City of Apoka live stream.
The majority of this Council now believe it is more important to not inform our residents or hear their concerns but that it is more important to push the voices of the residents we serve to the end of the meeting and ensure the rest of the community cannot hear what is being said.
It is also worth noting that temperature and conditions in the room have also been manipulated with thermostat readings an excess of 80 with residents and city staff fanning in the heat that maliciously consumes the room.
Other documented things also include the current mayor turning the lights off in the chambers as he exits but while people are talking and gathering their belongings to leave.
The question throughout the City of Apopka and beyond is why is the current mayor Bryan Nelson at this point deliberately attacking the entire City of Apopka with the support of Commissioners.
i.e., Public Comments moved to the end of the meeting, live feed for public comments being shut off by the IT Director Robert Hippler at the instruction of "administration", votes to allow the current mayor to alter meeting minutes to state things that were never stated or did not occur, switching the color of the public comment sheets without notifying the public, votes to shut down a City of Apopka Forensic Audit, attacks on the Apopka Fire Department, etc.
What is there to hide? What are the majority not wanting to get out into the community?
The current City of Apopka Attorney Cliff Shepard has provided “opinions” for a compensation on matters of importance to the current mayor Bryan Nelson and not the residents who pay for it but that helped support false narratives put forth by the current mayor Bryan Nelson.
The action of the majority of the Council do not value the residents voice but I will continue to show ALL residents that YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
The residents are the life line of the community and I value their voices!
