APOPKA, Fla. – Amid a legal dispute between two Apopka candidates for mayor, a circuit judge in Orange County has set a trial date for July 2027 — more than a year after next month’s municipal elections.
Judge Brian Sandor issued an order Tuesday setting a non-jury trial date of July 26, 2027 for Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson’s lawsuit against one of his opponents, current Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore.
News 6 reported last month that Nelson filed a lawsuit against Moore, alleging that she had not lived in the city long enough to meet residency requirements as a candidate. Nelson is arguing that Moore should be disqualified as a candidate and removed from the ballot.
[WATCH: Residency fight erupts in Apopka mayor’s race]
Moore has pushed back on Nelson’s claims, calling them “false and misleading.”
“Certainly the judge is not feeling that there is a reason to expedite the case,” said Patrick Rickert, an assistant professor of political science at Rollins College.
Rickert said he is aware of cases in Florida where a question over residency is resolved before the election, but he could not recall a situation where a dispute was settled more than a year after the election.
Apopka’s municipal elections are March 10.
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“The presumption going in (to Election Day) is that she counts as a qualified candidate,” Rickert said.
Rickert explained that in the event that Moore wins next month’s race, but Judge Sandor rules in 2027 that she had not met the residency requirements, the office of mayor could theoretically be vacated—with Moore, in this case, removed more than a year after taking office.
“This is sort of an unusual case because Florida’s trial rules state that judges have a responsibility to expedite cases that are extraordinarily pressing, including cases involving elections,” Rickert said.
[WATCH: Lawsuit accuses Apopka councilwoman of living outside city borders]
Rickert said that if a ruling prompted a vacancy in 2027, a special election would then be held.
In a race where there has been no shortage of drama, Rickert said the lack of a resolution before the election might weigh heavily on voters.
“The political impact is probably voters who don’t want to select a mayor that they think has some chance of not being qualified,” Rickert suggested. “On the other hand, there could be some slate of voters that think that Nelson is trying to win on a technicality.”