By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
"Come gather 'round people wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown, and accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone if your time to you is worth savin'. And you better start swimmin', or you'll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin.'"
Bob Dylan - For the Times They Are a-Changin'"
History was made in Apopka on Tuesday, and a new era has begun.
Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta, Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez, and Commissioners Yesenia Baron and Sam Ruth were officially sworn in, marking the start of a new governing period shaped by a campaign that centered on transparency, infrastructure, and accountability — and by a community now expecting results.
Related: What Comes Next: Shared priorities, different paths for Apopka’s new City Commission.
Power changed hands, but the message that carried through the ceremony was less about who won and more about what comes next.
In his first remarks as mayor, Nesta framed the transition as a reset.
“The residents of Apopka are ready for change and a new path forward,” he said.
He acknowledged the difficulty ahead — “meetings that challenge us,” “hard decisions” — but emphasized a governing approach built on “honesty, transparency, and accountability” with a focus on putting residents first.
That shift, he said, begins with a plan.
“We’ve already established the groundwork for a new process of budgeting, starting with commissioners and resident input at the beginning of the budget process to ensure all viewpoints and priorities are going to be heard," Nesta said.
Each commissioner’s remarks underscored both continuity in service and recognition that expectations have shifted.
Apopka City Commissioner Sam Ruth - Seat #1.
Ruth, returning to the dais after a decade, framed his win as shared.
“The victory of this is not mine alone. It’s everybody in this room,” he said. “I love this town… I love the community, and I love the people that are here.”
But he also pointed to the voices he heard on the campaign trail.
“I kept hearing the same message… ‘What about us?’”
Ruth made clear his support for the incoming administration, pairing it with a pledge of active backing.
“You’ve got all the support you need,” he said, addressing the mayor. “I will be there. I will kick some doors in if I need to.”
Apopka City Commissioner - Seat #2 and Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez.
Velazquez, reelected and the most experienced voice on the commission, emphasized the direct impact of local government.
“We are the closest to you. We affect you. We are in your home every day,” she said, reinforcing her focus on engagement and accountability.
Her remarks reflected continuity — a steady approach rooted in long-term service.
Baron, newly elected, spoke to the personal connections that brought her to the dais.
“At each and every table, there is a thread of my life,” she said. “I am going to make sure that I represent each and every one of you in my seat.”
Apopka City Commissioner Yesenia Baron - Seat #4
Even within the ceremonial setting, the direction of the next four years began to take form.
Nesta identified early priorities, including expanding water access, improving park amenities, addressing delayed infrastructure projects, such as the widening of Kelly Park Road, and attracting businesses and retail options that align with resident demand.
He also emphasized a shift in transparency and access to information within City Hall.
“The decisions that our commission is making are not private,” he said. “And neither should the information that they’re using to make those decisions.”
The level of community involvement that defined the election cycle remained evident during the ceremony, signaling that public attention on city leadership is likely to continue into the governing phase.
For all the formality of the oath and ceremony, the moment pointed forward.
“This is just the beginning,” Nesta said.
With a new commission in place and priorities already taking shape, the transition is complete — and the work of governing has begun. That work will begin quickly.
The Apopka City Commission is scheduled to hold its first meeting of the new term on May 6, at which early decisions will begin to test how campaign priorities translate into policy, processes, and outcomes. For a commission that campaigned on transparency, responsiveness, and a reset in how City Hall operates, the shift from ceremony to governance will come into focus almost immediately.
The oath has been taken. The expectations have been set. Now, the work begins.
The 2026 Apopka City Commission (from left to right): Commissioner Yesenia Baron (Seat #4), Commissioner Nadia Anderson (Seat #3), Mayor Nick Nesta, Commissioner Sam Ruth (Seat #1), and Vice Mayor/Seat #2 Commissioner Diane Velazquez.
As the present now, will later be past, the order is rapidly fadin' ...and the first one now will later be last for the times they are a-changin.'
