An incumbent and a newcomer won two seats on the Apopka City Council in a citywide non-partisan election that was held on Tuesday, March 8.
In the City Council Seat 2 race, incumbent Diane Velazquez won 4,640 total votes (69.92 percent) compared to Wes Dumey’s 1,996 total votes (30.08 percent). For Seat 4, Nick Nesta won 3,957 total votes (61.50 percent) versus Eric Mock’s 2,477 total votes (38.50 percent).
Nesta and Mock vied for Seat 4, which was vacated by Commissioner Kyle Becker, so he could run for mayor against incumbent Bryan Nelson, who was re-elected to his second term.
City Commissioner Alexander Smith ran unopposed for a second four-year term for Seat 1.
Velazquez, Nesta, and Smith will be sworn in on April 26.
The Apopka Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a celebratory toast for all of Apopka’s newly elected officials on Wednesday, March 9, at the City Center’s Hilton Garden Inn.
An email requesting comments was sent to Mock.
Diane Velazquez
In a phone interview, Velazquez said that the immediate issue she would handle as commissioner is to get a community discussion rolling about the South Apopka annexation. The annexation was a continually broached topic through the recent campaign cycle including at council candidate and mayoral forums.
She would like to see the community engaged, and said she knows data needs to be obtained from the city of Apopka and Orange County staffs such the number of homes in South Apopka and who pays the millage rate.
“All we can do is as commissioners and even the mayor is to start the conversation, right? But literally start to go into the community through the churches, through the pastors to see how we can start having a community discussion and to let them know that, really just find out the general, you know, are they interested in the annexation?,” Velazquez said. “Because we are hearing from certain community leaders most of the time, but we’ve never really heard from the residents who live in South Apopka, so that’s a start for us.”
As Velazquez prepares to serve her third term, there is something she is hoping for as a council member. She previously served her first term in Seat 2 from 2014 to 2018, then won her second term in the same seat in 2020, replacing a commissioner who resigned.
“I want to see healing and for us to work as a council. We have to heal and be a united council. That’s important to me right now. I don’t think we have that,” she said. “We have a divided council but it’s important for us to come back and say, ‘We’re here together and we’re united as one council.’”
Nick Nesta
Nesta sent a written statement to The Apopka Chief about his election win.
“I am completely humbled and honored to be elected by Apopka’s citizens for City Commissioner Seat 4,” he said. “The outpouring of support we received was incredible and I truly enjoyed every second of this campaign season.
“This success was a culmination of efforts from so many amazing people. I’d like to thank my beautiful wife, Lauren, for being my strength and taking care of our sweet girls throughout this crazy season. Thank you to my family and friends for your endless support and advice. Thank you to all of the organizations who endorsed me and a huge thank-you to all of the citizens who trusted and believed in me. I am ready to get to work for you! Together, I believe we can make Apopka the best it’s ever been – not only for us, but for future generations to come.”
Wes Dumey
In his emailed statement, Wes Dumey praised his former opponent Velazquez.
“Congratulations to my friend Diane Velazquez for winning re-election to the City Commissioner Seat #2,” he said. “During this campaign cycle, I’ve gotten to know Diane and I am confident that she will continue to be a good servant for the city of Apopka for the next four years. My only hope is that this race results in ‘iron sharpening iron’ and Diane will be an even better commissioner going forward for having been challenged in ways that will benefit both her and the city. I sincerely wish her and her family the best and she can count on me for assistance and support when needed.”
UPDATE: Eric Mock sent his statement via email on the morning of Friday, March 11.
“I reached out to Nick Nesta and congratulated him on his winning campaign. I’m disappointed in not winning and I’m not going away. I will continue to be involved in Apopka city government, Apopka Chamber of Commerce and the community.
“I look forward to Apopka’s future and look forward to being part of the process making our city the best in Central Florida.”
