The growing Apopka population necessitates six new sworn police officer positions as well as well as a 5% starting wage increase to keep the city competitive with other law enforcement agencies, Police Chief Michael McKinley told the City Council Wednesday.
The July 9 fiscal year 2026 budget workshop reviewed the police and fire departments’ budgets. Fire Chief Wil Rivera-Sanchez presented the fire budget.
The request for six new sworn police positions and new vehicles for each of them is part of the FY26 police department’s budget of $31,955,903.
The current Apopka sworn officer’s starting wage is $63,736.81, putting the city at No. 7 out of the 14 local law enforcement agencies McKinley compared during his presentation.
Increasing that wage by 5% boosts the salary to $66,923.65, which would pull Apopka up to No. 3 on the chart behind only the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Orlando Police Department. Both departments’ starting wages are $67,728.13.
The salary increase would help the Apopka Police Department stay competitive, since 49% of its officers have less than five years of experience and an additional 28% have less than 10 years of experience.
“This means that 77% of our sworn staff are early in their careers and not yet invested in the retirement system, making them more likely to leave for higher paying opportunities elsewhere if we do not offer competitive wages,” McKinley said. “Wage increase is a critical step in helping us attract highly qualified applicants and retain the promising young officers already serving our community.”
The city’s population growth from 46,571 in 2015 to 61,820 in 2024 required 94 additional officers, with a current staffing ratio of 2.23 officers per 1,000 residents, according to McKinley.
The police department also plans to upgrade vehicles and equipment and is working on a new public safety building and training facility.
The Apopka Fire Department is also requesting additional personnel, including nine additional personnel to staff a second tower truck on the north side of the city, three additional firefighters, and three additional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) captains, Rivera-Sanchez said.
The FY26 fire department’s budget is $29,587,063, which includes increases in costs for fire equipment and personnel. Among the increases are $627,000 for a new tower truck, $61,800 for EMS billing services, and $112,300 for costs of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.