Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson has filed to run for a third term and says he intends to continue the goals he set during his second term, including introducing new amenities and developments to the community and strengthening the local reclaimed water system.
Nelson officially filed paperwork for re-election on May 1 at Apopka City Hall. The municipal election will take place in March 2026 for mayor and city council seats 1 and 2. All offices are four-year terms.
Last month, Orange County District 2 Commissioner Christine Moore announced her campaign for Apopka mayor. She was elected as District 2 commissioner in 2018 after serving from 2009 to 2018 on the Orange County School Board.
In a Monday interview with The Apopka Chief, Nelson touted his second-term accomplishments, including the construction and renovation of several amenities at the Northwest Recreation Complex, including a new all-inclusive playground, new softball fields, and the amphitheater improvements; the continued repair of Golden Gem water reclamation pond, where a sinkhole had formed in January 2024; and continuing to work with the cities of Altamonte Springs, Winter Garden and Ocoee to strengthen the regional reclaimed water system.
“The biggest thing is to complete a lot of projects that we’ve gotten in the pipeline,” Nelson said. “Obviously, COVID has made such an impact on a lot of things that we [as] a city have done, just trying to get caught up and now trying to look into the future as to finishing those projects that we could have had done in this, my second term.”
Nelson said he will also see to it that the referendum on South Apopka annexation will get onto the March 2026 ballot for voters. At the May 7 City Council meeting, city attorney Cliff Shepard reviewed the 105-day timeline for getting the referendum on the ballot from feasibility study about the annexation to Election Day.
Shepard said both the city residents and the unincorporated South Apopka residents must pass the referendum for the annexation to happen.
Nelson said that the administration has been transparent.
“Everybody keeps saying that we’re not transparent,” Nelson said. “I don’t know what more we could do. … every bill, every check is verified by city commissioners. Everything that we do in our office is completely transparent. I think we’re as transparent as you can be, and will continue to be that way.”
Nelson ran for and won his first mayoral term against then-incumbent Joe Kilsheimer in 2018, then won his second term against challenger Kyle Becker in 2022. Becker had to give up his commissioner seat to run for the office.
Nelson, a lifelong Apopka native, is a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor of science in ornamental horticulture. After college, he worked for the family business Nelson’s Florida Roses. He sold his interest in the nursery and launched Nelson Insurance Services with his wife Debbie.
From 2006 to 2014, Nelson represented District 31 in the Florida House of Representatives, serving Apopka, Astor, Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares and Umatilla. For four years in the House, he chaired the Insurance and Banking Subcommittee.
Nelson was elected Orange County District 2 commissioner in 2014 and served until 2018, when he was elected mayor of Apopka. District 2 encompasses Apopka, Eatonville, Ocoee and Zellwood.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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