APOPKA, Fla. – The mayor of Apopka on Tuesday said he was encouraged by the large amount of people who attended a community meeting regarding the possible annexation of South Apopka.
Residents of South Apopka said they are considering the increased benefits Apopka said it can offer compared to Orange County.
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“There is no reason South Apopka should be in the condition that it’s in now. No reason,” one resident said.
People who live in South Apopka said they haven’t seen much commercial development or job growth.
“Why do I have to go all the way to Wekiva to go to the grocery store? Why don’t we have retail stores here in South Apopka? We have one gas station on Ocoee Apopka. That’s the issue I have,” another resident said.
The city of Apopka has a link on its website that points out the incentives for annexing a property to Apopka.
“It’s nice that we got a much better representation of people who have an opinion whether good or bad in the annexation process and all like to thank our staff. They’ve done a lot of work. I want to be objective about this,” Mayor Bryan Nelson said.
Some residents also expressed concern for the lack of services for South Apopka’s aging population.
“You have elderly people here. What are you going to do? Nobody has done anything in South Apopka, especially for the elderly. You haven’t placed any money, so guess what? Whatever you don’t feed will die. We’re dying here,” a resident said.
City officials say there will still be several more community meetings before a vote would take place.
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