IMAGE VIA TROOPER STEVE FACEBOOK PAGE
Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta issued a public statement this Thursday, July 30, defending the city’s hiring of former WKMG News 6 personality Steven “Trooper Steve” Montiero as the city’s new public information director, after the appointment drew sustained criticism from residents over its cost and the process behind it.
The Apopka City Commission unanimously approved Montiero’s hiring earlier this month, with a starting base salary of $180,000, according to Human Resources Director Joseph Patton. Montiero will officially assume the role August 10, following his departure from News 6 after nearly a decade as the station’s traffic safety reporter and a prior career as a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson.
The salary has since become the center of public criticism concerning the appointment. At $180,000, Montiero will earn nearly $50,000 more than Nesta himself, whose salary is $133,350.
At the commission meeting where the hire was ratified, resident Sylvester Hall said he supported Montiero’s appointment personally but questioned why the public hadn’t been given more information, including the salary and job description, ahead of the vote. That transparency concern echoed through much of the criticism that followed the hire in the days after, alongside broader frustration over the salary given Apopka’s smaller size relative to neighboring cities.
In his statement, Nesta said the criticism aimed at Montiero personally was unfair, arguing Montiero was hired through a competitive process after applying for a position that was properly budgeted and vetted. Nesta said residents had told him for months that they didn’t know where to find reliable information about city programs and services, and that the city’s existing communication efforts were scattered across platforms and failing to reach people effectively.
Nesta described the new role as a director-level position meant to build a modernized communications department combining marketing, public information, community engagement, media relations and strategic communications, rather than a simple spokesperson job. He said the department will be tasked with coordinating city messaging, pursuing sponsorships to help offset costs, promoting local businesses and nonprofits, organizing town halls, and improving the city’s digital presence.
Nesta said he takes responsibility for the decision and encouraged residents upset about the hire to direct their concerns to him directly rather than toward Montiero, who he said is joining the administration because he believes in the city’s future.
“I will not allow dedicated public servants to become political targets for accepting an opportunity to serve the community,” Nesta wrote.
Read Mayor Nesta’s full comment HERE on the City of Apopka Facebook page.
