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.…

The utilities operations department is asking the Apopka City Council to allocate $12.5 million, as part of the department’s FY26 budget, to expand the Golden Gem water reclamation plant.  The improvements include rebuilding a storage pond, a pumping station, and all other necessary equipment to make the facility operational.   That $12.5 million will only focus…

Wekiva High School grad Logan Gilbert has been as consistent as he has been clutch since joining the Seattle Mariners in 2021. But this season, his fifth in the majors, he has had to battle injury to maintain the lofty bar he set for himself early in his career.   In his first four seasons, Gilbert…

The Orange County Clerk of Courts is inviting individuals, businesses and organizations to view its unclaimed checks list to see if their names appear.

Florida Congressman Daniel Webster (R-Clermont) announced that over $2.5 million was returned to constituents who contact his office for help with issues before the IRS, VA, Social Security and more.

Of the over one dozen schools in the Apopka area, two Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) schools received “A” grades for the 2024-2025 school year: Kelly Park School and Wolf Lake Elementary, maintaining their grades for the second consecutive year.  Overall, OCPS scored an “A” grade for the second year in a row from the…

With August quickly approaching, the fall football season is on the horizon. Wekiva head coach Doug Gabriel and the Mustangs are prepared to bounce back from a less-than-spectacular 2024 season.    Wekiva's schedule includes three teams that finished in the top 50 in the state last year, a state runner-up, a final four team, and one…

The Apopka Chief has had the same website for a number of years. It was a WordPress site that was built for a paywall and PDFs, not so much for individual stories freely available to everyone in the community.  

The proposed city administration budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026 is $7.6 million, with a 4.4% overall reduction of the FY25 budget of $8,020,272. Specific changes include a 1.9% budget decrease in the mayor's office, a 18.5% increase in the city administrator's office, a 14.6% increase in the city clerk's office and a 21.3% increase…

The Apopka City Council will vote Wednesday to approve and set the fiscal year 2025-26 proposed millage rate at 4.6876, a 16.18% increase over the rolled back rate of 4.4146.The 4.6876 mileage rate would generate about $36,617,203 in property tax revenues for 2025-26. A mill is the tax rate for each $1,000 of taxable property…

The Apopka Historical Society welcomed the Florida Brownfield Association to the Apopka Museum on June 23, initiating a collaboration to advance sustainable redevelopment within the community while preserving its culture and heritage. The partnership emphasizes the community’s need for downtown green spaces and an augmented museum that could accommodate traveling displays and exhibits. “Apopka’s history…

The Apopka City Council voted unanimously on July 2 to confirm a new economic development director and reassign current employees to head two newly formed departments split off from the public services department following the departure of directors.   Antranette Forbes, the current St. Cloud economic development director, succeeds Michele Boylan as Apopka’s economic development director.…

Nearly two weeks after announcing its closure, Propagate Social House will reopen sometime before this weekend, one of its owners said Monday.   “It'll definitely be before the weekend,” Propagate co-owner Ella Duke said in a phone interview. “There's a lot that goes into reopening after you've been closed for 10 days. So, we're just trying to get…

With the legislative session finally coming to a close, the most important work of the Legislature was completed: the budget. School districts across the state were holding their breath, waiting for the final budget that came very late due to disagreements between the House and Senate. 

Looking back at America's founding documents

I would like to thank our streets and stormwater team for their execution in staging the pumps at Border, Jackson, McDade, Piedmont, Blue and Page lakes in order to draw down the lakes.  

Author Chris Arnade walks all over the world writing about the health of cities. He has a Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University and worked on Wall Street for 20 years.  

A third candidate filed in May to run for Apopka mayor, but when The Apopka Chief contacted him about his candidacy on July 2, he said he had decided not to run.   The candidate, William Dabbs filed qualifying paperwork on May 13, and his departure from the 2026 mayoral race leaves incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson and challenger…

One of Apopka's leading pest control services is celebrating its 40th anniversary next week. All Seasons Pest Control (ASPC), home to Apopka's biggest roach, will be hosting a gathering at Halls on Fifth for those in the community to celebrate with them.   "It's a big accomplishment for us, as a small business, to be here…

Some may find it difficult to focus on the 2025 season with all that has been going on with the Apopka football program, but ready or not, the season opener looms next month.   The team lost about 20 players and, subsequently, head coach Jeff Rolson after the spring game. Still, the school’s practice of creating…

On July 2, the Apopka City Council is set to confirm a new economic development director and reassign current employees to helm two newly formed departments out of the public services department.The appointment would have Antranette Forbes, the current St. Cloud economic development director, succeed Michele Boylan as Apopka’s economic development director. As another action…

From fireworks to barbecues and water days, locals are gearing up for July 4 events around Central Florida in celebration of Independence Day. Here is a roundup of events in and around Apopka:   Apopka    The city of Apopka will host a free July 4 event at the Apopka Amphitheater. The event will begin at 6…

Photo by Teresa Sargeant Propagate Social House, noted for its community role in revitalizing the downtown area with events and ventures, announced its closing “for the foreseeable future,” according to a Saturday Facebook post. “This photo was taken the day we opened Propagate … we look a little more tired these days [laughing emoji],” Propagate…

Former Apopka Blue Darter and now Super Bowl champion Jalen Carter will be returning to Apopka for his annual free skills camp.    The one-day free skills camp will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 12. The camp is for kids ages 8-17 and will feature multiple drills tailored to different age…

By Jake Vest It is doubtful that anybody who has ever seen a track meet might call what I do “running.” Or even “jogging.” Maybe “slogging” would be the word for it.   My guess, just from what little eye contact I can make, is that the people who share the road with me would…