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Apopka City Council Feature: Nick Nesta

Nesta's plan for Seat #4: Manage growth wisely and hit the ground running

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Nick Nesta is a man on a mission.

Elected on March 8th to Seat #4 on the Apopka City Commission, Nesta only has 15 days before his swearing-in on April 26th and 24 days before he sits on the dais.

He has a motto he's using until then.

"I've got to hit the ground running on May 4th," Nesta says, referring to his first City Council meeting. "I have lots of questions. That's what all this is about. I was at a meeting with [City] staff, and I asked them a lot of questions... and that led to different questions. And so that's what this next month is about... I've got [about] a month to get ready to hit the ground."

As a new member of the City Council, Nesta will primarily be voting on and following the administration's agenda. He does, however, have two priorities that he will push - starting the conversation about South Apopka annexation and more participation by Apopka voters in future elections.

South Apopka

"I want to handle South Apopka, have that conversation on annexation," Nesta said. "We need to handle that one way or another. Let's have some forums, meet with community leaders, and have those conversations."

Nesta's plan includes a comprehensive study and actions it would take to annex South Apopka. Then take the data to the residents in a series of meetings until there is a consensus.

"We can do it at the [Apopka] Amphitheater, at City Hall... let's go to community centers, let's go to churches, let's meet people at their homes to discuss, and break down the facts, the hard numbers, what it looks like, and how it will impact each citizen should everybody choose and agree to do this."

But according to Nesta, there also needs to be consensus on the City Council.

"First and foremost, we need to develop a plan and have full support on the council level, an all-hands-on-deck approach to go out and do outreach. We have a lot of momentum from the campaign. Everyone's campaign touched on this in some capacity. I don't want to lose that momentum. Let's have these conversations and then get it on the ballot."

Voter Turnout

Despite having vote-by-mail, early voting locally, and two precincts open on election day, only 19% of Apopka voters cast a ballot in 2022. Nesta would like to see it much higher.

"I want to get more voter turnout," he said. "I think getting the citizens more involved can only help our City. I want to create a program or a process that helps to promote getting involved. I think we're missing out. I want to be able to promote that in some way."

Of course, everyone wants higher voter turnout, but the reality is Apopka voters typically outperform other comparable municipalities in the region. But Nesta has a plan to stimulate the idea of civic participation beyond just voting.

"You talk to many people and explain to them why it's important for each person to come out and get involved, come to city council meetings, talk to your representatives, things like that. It's creating a program. And again, it's obviously in the abstract right now. Just getting people involved is a value-add for the community."

Overcrowded Schools

In the 2020 special election for Seat #2, Nesta, a first-time candidate at the time, spoke out about overcrowding schools in Apopka.

"To ensure we are not outgrowing our schools, we must have an advocate on the City Council level that understands how to represent the City to Orange County Public Schools," Nesta said in 2020. "They have built schools that are functionally obsolete the first day they open. We are building faster than the school board can keep up, and that is not a development issue. It is a school board failure. We also have infrastructure that is being used more than ever before, and we, as a city, need to keep up while budgeting for the increase in use."

The issue drew a lot of attention at the time and later flowed into a City Council meeting on the same subject in 2021.

And now that he will be on the City Council, Nesta promises more discussion and action on the subject.

"I've spoken to Christine Moore," Nesta said. "I need to be reaching out to the school board, and get a better conversation of where we're at and how to best benefit our community. Because you know, that's what I'm doing is representing all of Apopka. How best can we ensure our students and our teachers are taken care of? We just need to have some action."

The legacy of Seat #4

Seat #4 has a long history on the City Council. Commissioner Bill Arrowsmith held the seat for decades and ended his time on Council as Vice-Mayor and the longest-serving commissioner in Apopka history. Commissioner Kyle Becker followed with two terms (six years) and came within 500 votes of winning the mayoral election.

Nesta particularly admired Becker's data-driven presentations on Council.

"He's somewhat of a trailblazer," he said. "He definitely had his own ideas and stuck to those ideas often. I appreciate that about him and about his seat and about his tenacity. He stuck to what he believed, and he used data and facts to back up what he believed. It wasn't emotion-based. So I appreciated that about him, and I hope to bring that to the seat as well."

The Bridge

Nesta ran his campaign with the idea of becoming a bridge for Apopka residents. But a bridge from what to what? It turns out it's a bridge with many exit ramps.

"I came to Apopka in 1994. I went to school here - Trinity Christian School for elementary school, Apopka Memorial Middle School, Apopka High School, and UCF. I understand what it's like to grow up here versus other people that are just moving here. We have a substantial amount of new residents that are coming in every year, every month. So it's bridging that gap of understanding where Apopka is coming from, what it's like to grow up here, but also what it's like to live here now and raise a family. It's bridging that gap of understanding that we have a rich history, but we're also a new city. The population is almost 60,000 now... it's absolutely incredible. And it's not slowing down anytime soon. That's where those bridges come in. I feel that I have a great relationship with different people of different backgrounds. I feel I'm able to connect with them and bring them into the conversations that affect them or can benefit them one way or the other. I'm very empathetic to people in need, and I can bridge their needs."

A plan for economic development

Economic development was perhaps the hottest topic in the election cycle, and Nesta would like to explore an array of options moving forward.

"I definitely think it's important," he said. "And I think it's something that is still in need within the City. We do have some great new restaurants, and the new City Center is coming together. But we can't look at it just one way. Let's try to get unique... maybe somebody on staff already has that skill set, and if we can transition them... get them training to specialize in economic development. We may have that already on staff. If not, it can't hurt to go outside the City and see who else may be able to help us in that capacity."

City Center making progress

Nesta is also optimistic about the progress made in the City Center, although he too is ready for it to be a reality and not just a concept.

"I'm ready for it to be here," he said. "I think everybody's ready for it to be here. They're going to have a Starbucks. Everyone's going to love that. The brewery is going to be pretty cool. To have outdoor seating overlooking that fountain that's in the roundabout there. It's going to be a cool concept. And I think that's what we're excited about. I think that's the key... making sure that we don't cut corners. And I think that's what the City staff is doing... finding everything to make sure that it meets the developer's agreement, that it meets our code and what's best for the citizens."

Nesta is uncertain how long he will run for the Apopka City Commission. For him, it's about creating value for the residents of Apopka.

"If I'm creating value, I'll stay," he said. "If I'm not creating the value, I need to get out of the way and let somebody else who can create value step up and take over. This was something I brought up in the last campaign in 2020. Being a bridge is having civic leaders and community leaders who are teaching and growing, and raising the next generation to pass the torch. I think that's missing here. And so that's what I would like to bring. One of the bridges is to pass the torch on when you accomplish what you want to accomplish. It's time to pass the torch on to somebody else that has the fire that can bring it to the next level."

In the special election for Seat #4, Nesta received 3,925 votes (61.46%), which was the second most votes for any candidate in the three contests. Nesta received more votes than Mayor Bryan Nelson. It gives him somewhat of a mandate by the voters, which he hopes to parlay into success on the city commission at a pivotal point in Apopka's history.

"I'm very excited to have been elected," he said. "And I'm excited to hit the ground running. We're at the tipping point in Apopka, where we're seeing massive growth. We just need to make sure it's managed correctly."

Commissioner-Elect Nick Nesta, Apopka City Council, Apopka City Commission, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson, Apopka Amphitheater, Apopka City Center

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