Dana O'Connor
Key Points
- Mayor Nick Nesta announced a new Apopka City Hall structure on Sept. 28 after dismissing interim City Administrator Radley Williams and Finance Director Blanche Sherman.
- The new Apopka City Hall structure aims to improve accountability and project completion amid growth from 54,873 residents in 2020 to 69,070 in 2026.
- Nesta's plan pauses most city hiring through Oct. 1 and leaves four key chief positions vacant under the mayor.
Mayor Nick Nesta outlined a new organizational structure for Apopka City Hall Monday, Sept. 28, three days after dismissing interim City Administrator Radley Williams and Finance Director Blanche Sherman as part of the reorganization.
During his City Hall 101 town hall, Nesta said the new structure is intended to improve accountability, coordination and the city’s ability to complete projects as Apopka grows. Before taking questions, he acknowledged Friday’s personnel changes but said he would not discuss individual employment decisions.
Williams and Sherman were dismissed late Friday because of the reorganization, according to an email Human Resources Director Joe Patton sent to city commissioners. Their separations are effective Oct. 1, and both were placed on paid administrative leave until then and given the option of accepting six-week paid severance packages.
Nesta said the city needs clearer responsibility for projects and better coordination among departments, pointing to more than $100 million in projects approved by the current and previous city commissions that he said have continued to roll over without being completed.
“If we don’t have oversight and accountability, we’re not going to get anything done,” Nesta said. “And this is how this organizational chart works.”
The reorganization follows a hiring pause for most vacant city positions that Nesta announced in August while the city reviewed staffing and its organizational structure. The pause remains in effect through Oct. 1.
Nesta’s organizational chart places six top-level positions beneath the mayor: police chief, fire chief, city administrator, chief financial officer, chief utilities officer and chief of staff. The latter four positions are vacant.
The city administrator would oversee day-to-day operations; the CFO would oversee financial functions; the chief utilities officer would oversee utilities and public services; and the chief of staff would oversee areas including economic development, public information and enterprise project management. Nesta said the CFO position essentially replaces the finance director position under the reorganized structure.
The mayor tied the restructuring to Apopka’s growth from 54,873 residents in 2020 to 69,070 in 2026.
After the meeting, Nesta declined to tell the Chief why Williams and Sherman specifically were affected. Asked whether there was a reason the dismissals were announced late Friday rather than earlier in the workweek, Nesta said, “No.”
Asked whether employees or residents should expect additional personnel changes, Nesta said employees could be moved within the organization, “but I feel right now no major change is going to be made moving forward.”
Three commissioners have offered differing reactions to the dismissals.
Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez said in a Sunday statement that she had seen the proposed organizational chart earlier in the week but was not told of any terminations. She learned of the dismissals by email Friday and said that although she had a good working relationship with Williams and Sherman, she respected the mayor’s decisions concerning the reorganization.
Commissioner Nadia Anderson expressed concerns about the dismissals and called for greater transparency about the reasons, how Williams’ and Sherman’s responsibilities will be handled and the qualifications of future hires. Anderson also questioned whether retaliation could have played a role in Sherman’s dismissal, citing previous allegations Sherman made against Nesta, which he denied.
Commissioner Sam Ruth told the Chief before the town hall that he learned of the dismissals Friday evening and had not been given a reason. He declined to assess their potential effect without more information.
During public comment, resident Sylvester Hall renewed his call for a forensic audit.
“Anytime you don’t do a forensic audit, for me, that’s it,” Hall said. “You’re not heading in the right direction for the city.”
Nesta defended the pace of his decisions, saying, “I’m not going to make emotional, rash decisions based on peer pressure, based on social media, or based on just somebody pushing in one direction or another.”
Tamiko Kirt, who lives in unincorporated Orange County but uses Apopka services, said afterward that she attended to hear the discussion firsthand.
“The problems that are here in Apopka weren’t created when he got voted in; they were already here,” Kirt said. “So, people need to give him a chance.”
Kirt said she plans to watch what happens over the next several months before drawing conclusions about the changes.