Supervisor’s office briefs Apopka on municipal-election timing; council asks for options to move from March to November

Apopka City Council members discussed whether to change municipal elections from the current March schedule to November, after a presentation from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office and the city attorney.

City Attorney Cliff Shepherd summarized the procedural landscape: the city charter currently lists the first Tuesday in December as the election date, but an ordinance adopted under a prior administration moved municipal elections to March. Shepherd told the council the discrepancy can be resolved — and that the practical options are (1) keep March, amend the charter to match the ordinance, or (2) amend the charter to move elections to November and adopt transition language to preserve staggered council terms. He warned that changing the election schedule requires careful drafting so term expirations and start dates align and so staggered seats are preserved.

Nick Chenain (general counsel assigned to the Supervisor of Elections office) and Scott Hottenstein (director of outreach and education at the Supervisor’s office) described how other municipalities have handled shifts in election timing. They noted that the city of Orlando moved its municipal elections to standalone November dates (odd-numbered years) and has run that schedule for several years. The supervisors’ staff said holding municipal-only elections in November can work and that the county office will help coordinate; they also cautioned against holding municipal contests on the same ballot as major statewide or federal races because long ballots can suppress attention and create administrative complications.

Chenain and Hottenstein told the council that moving to November will require a charter amendment submitted to voters; to preserve staggered four-year terms the first post-change election cycle may need temporary term lengthening for some seats so the calendar aligns. Shepherd and the Supervisor’s office agreed to provide examples and ordinance language (including Orlando’s transition language) for the council’s review. The council asked staff to return with timelines and draft language at the next meeting.

Outcome: No ordinance was adopted at the meeting. Council asked the city attorney and Supervisor of Elections staff to provide sample charter and referendum language and a timeline showing how terms would be adjusted so staggered seats are preserved. The item will return for further discussion at the February 5 meeting.

Ending: The Supervisor’s office offered to provide copies of the referendum language used by Orlando and to work with city counsel and the clerk to model transition scenarios; officials asked for that material in advance of the next meeting so the council can consider a formal proposal.