Apopka, Florida

==Present-day Apopka==
[[File:Orange County Trail 441 Bridge Rails to Trails.jpg|thumb|This bridge was built by Orange County, FL and the City of Apopka, FL over US Route 441 connecting two sections of the Rails-to-Trails system forming the [[West Orange Trail]] for bicyclists and pedestrians. It opened in June 2007.]]
Apopka is known for having one of the longest-serving mayors in the United States. [[John H. Land]], first elected in 1949, served for 61.25 years (with a short three-year gap), making him the longest-serving mayor in Florida and longest-serving full-time mayor in the United States through 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last=McKay |first=Rich |url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-01-01/news/0912310158_1_florida-s-longest-serving-mayor-at-large-election-commissioner-marilyn-u-mcqueen |title=Land returned as mayor as election qualifying ends|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |date=January 1, 2010 |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> Apopka is served by the [[Apopka Police Department]] within city limits and the [[Orange County Sheriff's Office (Florida)|Orange County Sheriff's Department]] for unincorporated Apopka.

On April 8, 2014, Apopka City Commissioner Joe Kilsheimer won the election<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-04-08/news/os-apopka-mayor-runoff-20140408_1_mayor-john-land-joe-kilsheimer-apopka|title=First elected in 1949, 93-year-old Apopka mayor loses historic vote|last=Hudak|first=Stephen|date=April 8, 2014|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref> to succeed [[John H. Land]] as mayor. Kilsheimer was sworn in on April 22, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-04-23/news/os-apopka-mayor-kilsheimer-sworn-in-20140422_1_kilsheimer-john-land-new-mayor|title=Apopka's new mayor seeks to build around city's 'inner Mayberry'|last=Hudak|first=Stephen|date=April 23, 2014|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref> The 2018 primary for mayor resulted in a landslide win for Bryan Nelson with 63.40% (4,103) of the vote to Kilsheimer's 36.6% (2,369).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/2018%20Elections/2018%20Municipal/Results/18MUN_OfficialSummaryResults.pdf|title=Election Results Municipal Orange County|date=April 24, 2018|publisher=Orange County|access-date=August 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831211835/https://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/2018%20Elections/2018%20Municipal/Results/18MUN_OfficialSummaryResults.pdf|archive-date=August 31, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> No runoff was required.

===Mayors of the City of Apopka, Florida, USA===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
!Mayor !!<br />First<br />Year!!<br />Term <br />of<br />Years !!<br /> Total<br />Years!! Mayor!! First Year!! End Year!!Term<br />of<br />Years!!Total<br />Years
|-
| James Daniel Fudge || 1882 || 3 ||  ||John Jewell || 1926 Jan || 1930 Dec|| 5||
|-
| Jessse J. Combs || 1885 || 1 ||  ||Edward J. Ryan || 1931 Jan || 1934 Dec||3||
|-
| Page McKinney || 1886 || 2 ||  ||Gillen McClure || 1935 Jan|| 1937 Dec|| 3||
|-
| Dr. Horatio S. Brewer || 1888 || 5 ||  ||Mark V. Ryan || 1938 Jan || 1940 Dec|| 3||
|-
| R. C. Waters || 1893 || 2 ||  ||Leslie P. Waite || 1941 Jan || 1946 Dec|| 6||
|-
| E. A. Jackson || 1895 || 1 ||  ||Dr. Charles Henry Damsel || 1947 Jan|| 1949 Dec|| 3||
|-
| Andrew Jackson Lovell || 1896 || 9 || *||John Horting Land || 1950 Jan|| 1967 Dec|| 18||*
|-
| Joseph D Mitchill || 1905 || 7 ||*|| Leonard Hurst || 1968 Jan|| 1970 Dec|| 3||
|-
| Adelbert M. Starbird || 1912 || 1 || || John Horting Land || 1971 Jan|| 2014 Mar || 43.25|| 61.25
|-
|Andrew Jackson Lovell || 1913 || 1 || 10 ||Joe Kilsheimer|| 2014 Apr ||2018 ||4 || 
|-
| Walter R. McLeod|| 1914 || 1 || ||Bryan Nelson ||2018 Apr 24||2026 || 8 || 
|-
| Frank Davis || 1915 || 1 || || || ||  ||    ||
|-
| Walter Newell || 1916 || 2 || *||          ||           ||   ||   ||
|-
| Thomas B. Tower || 1918 || 1 || ||          ||           ||   ||   ||
|-
| Walter P. Newell || 1919 || 1 || 3 ||          ||           ||   ||   ||
|-
| Joseph D Mitchill || 1920 || 3 || 10||          ||           ||   ||   ||
|-
| Edward Barker Morrey || 1923 || 3 || ||          ||           ||   ||   ||
|}
* Indicates discontiguous terms of service. 
1882-1923 elections were held annually. Then every three years. Then four years as the city election codes were changed. 
<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Pennings of Perrine Slim: Stories of Northwest Orange County Florida|last=Slim|first=Perrine|year=2015|isbn=978-1-934194-27-0|location=USA}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theapopkachief.com/|title=The Apopka Chief Newspaper - Latest Apopka news, sports, events|website=The Apopka Chief Newspaper}}</ref>
<ref>The Museum of the Apopkans, vertical files</ref>
<ref>{{Cite book|title=History of Apopka and Northwest Orange County Florida|last=Shofner|first=Jerrell|year=1982|asin=B0020EV4XQ|location=Apopka, USA}}</ref>

===Development===
Apopka is a fast-growing city and is expanding in all directions. Most notable are the new stores to the north of the city on [[U.S. Route 441 in Florida|US 441]] in the location of the previous Dunn Citrus grove (the stretch of 441 which runs through the city is named after Fred N. Dunn).  Due to the fast-paced growth of the city, a new hospital, AdventHealth Apopka, was opened in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theapopkavoice.com/florida-hospital-apopka-sets-opening-date/|title=Florida Hospital Apopka sets opening date|website=The Apopka Voice|date=December 7, 2017|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref>

The [[John Land Apopka Expressway]] ([[Florida State Road 414|Toll 414]]) opened on May 15, 2009, relieving some of US 441's traffic, taking the route from what is now the US 441 junction with [[Florida State Road 429|SR 429]], and then passing south of the city to rejoin US 441 at its junction with Maitland Boulevard South of the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2009-05-15/news/apopka_1_apopka-toll-maitland-boulevard|title=John Land Apopka Expressway segment opens today|author=Tracy, Dan|date=May 15, 2009|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref>

Expansion of the expressway, including an extension of Toll 414, known as Wekiva Parkway, created a junction at US 441 and Plymouth Sorrento Road. Master plans take the Wekiva Parkway extension further north and then east connecting to [[Interstate 4]] at [[Sanford, Florida|Sanford]]. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wekivaparkway.com/construction-updates.php | title=Wekiva Parkway - Construction Updates }}</ref> It will then be the shortest route from I-4 to the [[Walt Disney World|Disney attractions]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-cfx-wekiva-parkway-completion-20180313-story.html|title=Wekiva Parkway segment set to open into Lake County|author=Spear, Kevin|date=March 16, 2018|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref>