Matthew Aungst announced Wednesday he is suspending his campaign for mayor of Apopka, a move he described as a way to stop career politicians from keeping power and therefore maintaining the status quo.  

In a statement he posted on Facebook, Aungst said that his decision to suspend his campaign mainly stemmed from Commissioner Nick Nesta entering the race. Aungst announced his mayoral campaign in August; Nesta filed to run for mayor in November. Nesta submitted his resignation effective Dec. 4 from Seat 4, to which he was first elected in 2022 and re-elected to in 2024. 

“Both of us have been drawing support from overlapping constituencies of voters seeking reform, accountability, and new leadership direction for our growing city,” Aungst said in his statement. “In a fractured race, the danger is very real. Career politicians, whose records show they will not move Apopka in the direction it needs to go, could reassert and deepen their hold on power.” 

He admitted that his continued presence in the race could have unintended consequences for the movement he helped spark. 

 “I realized both of us could accidentally help preserve [the status quo] by splitting the reform vote,” Aungst said. “When I saw this risk clearly, I knew what had to be done – even if it meant setting aside my own aspirations.”  

Though Aungst stepped back from his campaign, he is still advocating for an overhaul of the city’s governance, specifically calling for the city to transition to a city manager form of government.  

In November, the Apopka City Council approved eight charter amendments on the March 10, 2026, ballot. One of the amendments would change the city’s current form of government from strong mayor to council-manager.  

Under the council-manager form, the day-to-day operations of the city would be handled by a hired professional rather than an elected mayor. Under the strong mayor form, the mayor functions basically as a CEO who directly oversees the city’s daily operations.  

Having the city manager run Apopka’s daily operations instead of the mayor, Aungst said in his statement, would create a professional administration “insulated from day-to-day political influence while enabling difficult decisions that prioritize Apopka’s future development.” 

“Our problems are deeper than any single election can address. They are structural,” Aungst wrote. 

Aungst concluded his statement by urging his supporters to remain active and to hold the remaining candidates to a high standard of accountability, telling voters to “demand answers” and “expect action.” 

Qualifying for the city general election began Monday at noon and ends at noon Friday. Orange County District 2 Commissioner Christine Moore, Nesta and incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson already qualified to run for mayor. Aungst has not done this yet, although he already filed the paperwork.  

Aungst is still technically a candidate in the race. If he doesn’t inform City Hall about suspending his campaign by noon Friday, he will lose by default, but he has that as an option, according to city clerk Susan Bone, who serves as the supervisor of city elections.  

“Until somebody does their own resignation, I can’t go by hearsay,” Bone told the Chief in a Thursday interview. “Right now, I’m treating him like a candidate. He only has until noon tomorrow. Hopefully he’ll call me and get that done.”