Apopka voters spoke loud and clear on March 10, but they’re not done yet.  

After voting in two new members to the City Commission, voters will now decide on a new mayor. Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore and City Commissioner Nick Nesta both defeated two-term incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson to qualify for the April 14 runoff election, which will determine who will lead the city of Apopka for the next four years.  

Nesta claimed the most general election votes with 3,365 (41.60%), followed by Moore with 2,576 (31.85%) votes. Nelson finished third with 2,148 (26.55%) votes.  

The unofficial voter turnout of 8,121 (21%) is expected to fall to about half that size for the runoff election, despite a total of 38,698 registered voters in Apopka.  

In an interview, Nesta said his strategy for the runoff will remain largely the same as in the initial election, which is to be “resident focused, resident centric. We are here to represent the residents first and foremost.” 

During the runoff campaign, Nesta said he plans to continue reaching out to voters who supported his rivals, including through canvassing, social media and phone calls. 

Nesta, who owns a real estate company, was first elected city commissioner in 2022, then re-elected in 2024. He submitted his resignation from commission seat 4 to run for mayor, triggering a special election, which Yesenia “Jesi” Baron won last week with 51% of the vote. 

Moore, who also resigned to run for mayor, said she is “so excited” to be in the runoff and intends to focus attention on her record, including as a school board member and county commissioner. 

“I’m happy to talk about the seven schools in Apopka that got remodeled,” she said of her tenure on the school board. “I always felt you could measure the health of the community by what’s going on in the schools and the success of the students and the success of the neighborhood.” 

Moore said serving on the Alachua County Commission gave her an understanding of development, infrastructure and public safety.  

“It’s clear that we’ve developed too quickly for the long-term health of the community — but they’re approved,” she said about Apopka’s growth rate and developments already in the pipeline. “I don’tthink it’s so much that you could legally hold them up, but you could work with the state and the county to expedite the infrastructure. It’s all about partnerships.” 

Moore also highlighted her work on environmental and recreational projects such as trails and natural spaces, while contrasting herself with Nesta. 

“He can’t claim to be anti-development when he’s approved over 10,000 homes in the last four years,” Moore said. 

Nesta said his approach has concentrated on balancing growth with residents’ concerns. 

“At the end of the day, we need to be pro residents,” he said. “I’m the only elected official within our area that has pushed for a moratorium or a slowdown or conversations of how to slow down development.”  

He added that he has previously called for discussions about slowing development and said he has not accepted campaign contributions from developers. 

The candidates will continue to make their cases to residents during a mayoral runoff forum, hosted by Apopka Involved Voters, at 7 p.m. Monday at Victory Church (509 S. Park Ave.). Residents who can’tattend in person may watch the livestream on The Apopka Chief’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.  

The dynamics of the runoff could hinge in part on what happens to the voters who supported Nelson in the first round.  

“Historically, when there’s a runoff election, sometimes the candidate that didn’t advance can have an impact if they choose,” said Aubrey Jewett, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida School. “They are the ones that have the pool of supporters that are still in play and now have to decide who they’re going to vote for.”  

Jewett said the absence of an incumbent in the runoff makes the race harder to read, since both remaining candidates were already running as challengers to the sitting mayor. Runoff elections also tend to attract significantly fewer voters than the initial round, meaning the campaigns’ ability to mobilize supporters could be decisive.  

The cash dash 

According to the campaign treasurer’s reports, as of March 5, Moore, who entered the race in April 2025, had raised $92,436 and spent $67,021.75. Nesta, who joined the race in November 2025, hadraised $15,551 and spent $12,560.99. Nelson raised $66,405.98 and spent $36,876.47 during his campaign. 

Moore’s total contributions were the highest of the three candidates, showing a mix of businesses and individual donors.  

“My ability to raise money will also be a wonderful asset as I raise money for projects around town,” Moore said.  

Nesta’s total contributions came from individual donors.  

“It’s funded by our neighbors, our friends, our families — everybody that makes up our community is who is starting to contribute as big or as small as they feel,” he said. “Each contribution, whether it’s $1 or $500, is an investment in our city’s future.” 

In a Monday Facebook post, Nesta criticized Moore, saying she “has accepted thousands of dollars in developer-backed contributions.”  

In an interview, Moore defended taking developer money and said she remains independent, citing votes against developments as county commissioner.  

“He voted for every single project that came across the agenda,” she said. 

Moore criticized Nesta for a $2,000 donation in 2024 from Christopher Delgado, an Apopka man who was recently arrested for allegedly running a $328 Ponzi scheme.  

In his Monday Facebook post, Nesta said he represented Delgado in three “arms-length transactions” to sell homes, and Delgado then donated to his campaign “as many local individuals in our community do” in elections.  

“I want to be very clear: I have never invested with Christopher Delgado, I have never participated in any cryptocurrency ventures with him, and I have never had any financial involvement with him beyond those standard real estate transactions that were approved by licensed lenders,” Nesta said.  

On the expense side, Moore spent more than 70% of the funds she raised. Nesta’s expenditures werealmost 80% of the money he raised. 

Moore’s overall spending included payments for campaign materials, advertising and qualifying. Nesta’s expenditures were focused on campaign materials.  

Heading into the runoff, Nesta said his campaign will continue to emphasize efficient, grassroots outreach and direct voter contact rather than advertising.  

“Something that I’ve always prided myself on is that I run very efficient campaigns,” he said. “If I can’t run an efficient campaign, how am I going to run an efficient city?” 

— With reporting from J.C. Derrick