The City Council on Wednesday night tabled a decision on who will get priority access to soccer fields at the Northwest Recreation Complex, asking the two competing organizations to try to work out a shared-use plan and bring it back at the next council meeting on March 4. 

The decision came after a lengthy debate over a bidding process that disqualified one local club, Central Florida Soccer Club, because its president broke the city’s “cone of silence” rule by contacting council members during the RFP.  

That left Central Florida United Soccer Academy as the sole remaining proposer recommended to get priority access to three multipurpose fields at the Northwest Recreation Complex. 

Mayor Bryan Nelson said the city couldn’t ignore its bidding rules just because a popular program was involved.  

“If we don’t have the cone of silence for soccer fields, then we might as well forget about it,” Nelson said.  

The city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in January seeking organizations to run soccer leagues, tournaments and other athletic programs at the complex, with the intent to award up to two contracts. Each winning group would receive priority rental and scheduling rights to three multipurpose fields.  

Under the plan, one contract would start July 27 on three existing fields, while a second contract for three additional fields was anticipated to begin around Feb. 1, 2027, once the park’s expansion and new field construction are finished. 

Out of 2,599 vendors notified about the RFP, only two organizations ultimately submitted bids: Central Florida Soccer Club and Central Florida United Soccer Academy. 

According to city documents and statements made at Wednesday’s meeting, Central Florida Soccer Club – which has operated in Apopka for about 14 years – was disqualified under the RFP’s “cone of silence” rule, which forbids bidders from contacting city commissioners about the contract while it is out for bid. 

Because of that disqualification, the evaluation committee recommended awarding only one contract to the remaining bidder, Central Florida United Soccer Academy, which scored 89 out of 100 points and proposed a monthly rental fee of $4,462.50. The city left the second set of three fields to be rebid later, reserving the right to issue a new RFP for those fields once the park expansion is finished. 

The disqualification caused an outcry from Central Florida Soccer Club supporters, who argued that losing field access would displace hundreds of local children.  

“The impact that we have on these kids and our environment and our society is massive, and you cannot take that away from them,” Coach Ewan Lindo said.   

However, the tone of the meeting shifted when representatives from both clubs expressed a willingness to cooperate. 

“We’ll find a way to make it work,” said Naji Khouri, Central Florida Soccer Club president. “We’ll work with the other organization. We’ll work with the city for other fields.”  

Commissioner Nadia Anderson said she wanted a consistent, transparent bidding process but refused to back any decision that would leave local children without a place to play, urging a compromise and shared‑use plan. 

“Once again, I think what’s important is it’s not about any of us adults,” she said. “Let’s be very clear: It’s about these kids.”  

Meanwhile, council members pressed city staff to speed up construction of six new soccer fields, saying they hope that by the time current contracts expire in July, the newly built or soon‑to‑open fields at the Northwest Recreation Complex will provide enough space for both the city’s own recreation leagues and the private clubs. 

City officials said Khouri broke the city’s “cone of silence” rule by contacting at least one council member during the bidding. Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez acknowledged receiving an email from him. Nelson suggested that more than one commissioner was contacted, though no others were named publicly. 

During the meeting, Nelson pressed Khouri on whether he understood the city’s rules. Khouri acknowledged he knew the rules but disputed that he had broken them, insisting he had contacted people “in their capacity … running for office” rather than using their official city email accounts. 

When Nelson said this showed he had broken the cone of silence “more than once,” Khouri pushed back.  

“With all due respect, Mayor, the verdict’s still out on that one,” he said.