Inside Sports City officials were hoping to Despite an abbreviated sea- Subscribe put $1 million in reserves. son, Apopka High baseball online That likely won’t happen. team honored its seniors. God Bless See page 3A. America See page 1B. today for 52 editions a year! $30 in The Apopka Chief Orange County Your trusted local news source ©2020 The Apopka Chief ($35 out of county) Volume 98 Number 23 Friday, June 5, 2020 / 50 cents Price Includes E-Edition Comm. Nolan gives Amazon publicly named as tenant reason for absences By John Peery for large warehouse in Apopka By John Peery Apopka Chief Staff Apopka Chief Staff At the City Coun- cil meeting on Wednes- The worst-kept secret day, June 3, Apopka City in City Hall is officially no Commissioner Alice No- longer a secret. lan explained why she has A large proposed ware- missed several City Coun- house working its way cil meetings this year: She through the city of Apop- This rendering shows the elevation of the Amazon warehouse as it will face Gen- has lung cancer. ka’s approval process was eral Electric Road. With her attendance at long rumored to be for e- Commissioner Alice Nolan ager David Moon let the Smith Road in the Plym- last mile moniker is one this week’s meeting, No- commerce giant Amazon wears a facemask Wednes- cat out of the bag about the outh area of Apopka. Amazon uses to describe a lan, 31, has been present at and that was confirmed at day, June 3, during the warehouse that will cover During its time at City warehouse where products five of the 10 City Coun- the Wednesday, June 3, City Council meeting in 201,475 square feet on the Hall, the proposed project sold by the company are cil meetings this year. Pri- City Council meeting. which she announced that southeast corner of General has been known as DFL5 or to this meeting, she had With a bit of a grin, she has lung cancer. Electric Road and Hermit Apopka Last Mile. The See AMAZON Page 8A missed four out of the past city senior planning man- five. In her statement, she apologized for not communi- cating with the public about her absences. ‘Apopka community is well-knit family’ “I would like to apologize to the city of Apopka, By Teresa Sargeant reaved over what happened to thing to hurt our city,” said my friends, and my family for not being forthcoming Apopka Chief Staff Floyd, the tension hasn’t ex- Monique Morris, a communi- on my absences here at City Council,” Nolan said. ploded into a desire to riot in ty leader and longtime Apop- “Last year, I was diagnosed with lung cancer and The death of George the community. ka resident. it’s been quite the journey. My husband and I both Floyd, a black man, at the “In our community, I If there were a protest, chose to keep it private and not let my kids know, and hands of a white police of- don’t see that there’s any ten- the police officers would just work through it. But as many things like that, it has ficer in Minneapolis, Minn., sion in our community. The show solidarity with the dem- affected others in our lives. It has affected friends, fam- continues to pick at emotion- Apopka community is a well- onstrators like it has been the ily; it has affected the city, and because of that, there al wounds of racism, result- knit family and we’re very case in Kissimmee, Morris has been a big lack of communication, and I wanted to ing in the breakout of protests connected. I mean we’re mad, believes. give everybody an update on that. I wanted to address it and riots in cities across the we’re upset over what’s hap- “I think we can go and as I continue my treatment. nation. pened to George Floyd, but talk to our police officers. I Monique Morris. A community leader I don’t think we’re at a point even feel if we had a protest, See NOLAN Page 5A longtime Apopkan said though Apopka citizens that we want to destroy our may be just as furious and be- city; we don’t want to do any- See FAMILY Page 8A Apopka High School celebrates graduates with city-sponsored parade With traditional graduations not being held due to COVID-19, Apopka High School held a parade for the graduates Saturday, May 30, at Northwest Recre- ation Complex. Organized and sponsored by the city of Apopka, the parade drew more than 400 seniors and their friends and family to help them celebrate their accomplishment. In the picture at the near left, Faith Evans, Student Govern- ment Association president, waves as she stands in the sunroof opening in her car. In the picture at the far left, friends and family members cheer the graduates who are led in the cars by a member of the Apopka Police Department. A full page of color pictures is on page 3B. COVID-19 cases increasing locally to nearly 200 This week By Teresa Sargeant the more ru- Section A Apopka Chief Staff ral Northwest Opinion .................. 2A Orange Coun- Public Notices .... 4,5A The steady climb of COV- ty, “My un- Bus. Rev ........ 7,9,10A ID-19 cases in the Apopka area derstanding is may be due to the region’s isolation that people in from the Orlando area, as Apopka Apopka tend Section B ZIP codes are now an epicenter of to stay in that Sports ....................1B positive cases in Orange County. area,” Pino Dining & Ent .......... 1B As of the morning of Thurs- Pino said. “There’s Worship .................2B day, June 4, there were 97 positive not much in- AHS parade ...........3B cases in Apopka ZIP code 32712 tegration with Orlando. NASCAR ................ 5B and 93 in 32703, and less than five “People have everything there Legal ads ............6-8B Two cars are in line Tuesday, June 2, for COVID-19 testing held at Apopka in the Zellwood ZIP code of 32798. (needed to live there),” he contin- Classified..........8-10B High School. “The pandemic in our county ued. Service Dir. ..........10B seems to move from east to west,” “It’s why the pandemic is de- he refused to name the two compa- VID-19. Dr. Raul Pino, health officer for layed in coming to Apopka.” nies. As of Wednesday, June 3, the the Florida Department of Health Pino noted there have been Although earlier reports noted county’s COVID-19 cases have an in Orange County, said Thursday, outbreaks at two Apopka business- there were two Hispanic men who 86-percent recovery rate yet the June 4, in a telephone interview. es with a large number of people worked for an Apopka company numbers for each ZIP code aren’t “That’s how I see it played. It could of Latino descent, hence the in- and had died of coronavirus, Pino calculated. be a matter of timing.” crease of positive cases among La- said he has no indication of any- Since Apopka is nestled in tino males in Apopka. When asked, one from Apopka dying from CO- See CASES Page 5A Richard Petrilli, DMD, PA Providing Extraordinary Care for Extraordinary Patients Included in Doctors of Excellence Listed as one of Orlando’s Finest • No Interest Financing Available 2013-2014 Dentists in Orlando Weekly - 2013 EST EST e B of e B of Celebrating over 25 years Th Th of exceptional service to • Gentle, High Quality Dental Angie’s List, Super Service Award - Voted Best Dentist in Apopka - APOPKA APOPKA 2013 & 2014 Best of Apopka Awards 2019 2019 the Apopka area! 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If it meets your approval, please sign and fax back to 407-889-4121. Instructions have been followed as closely as possible. The Apopka Chief • 407-886-2777 • Fax: 407-889-4121 The Apopka Chief June 5, 2020 Page 2A Apopka Event of the Week Quotable Churches are beginning to assemble Most of the people who were again in their sanctuaries, conscious peacefully protesting just wanted to of abiding by the guidelines that make their feelings known. They have invested their lives in their community have been set by CDC for protection and now local businesses, as well against the coronavirus. Online ver- as national chain stores, have been sions of services continue to be avail- destroyed. able as well. The Apopka Chief on the Opinion escalation of violence at protests The Apopka Chief A weekly newspaper founded in 1923 Publisher Reporters Marketing Director John Ricketson Richard Corbeil Jackie Trefcer Editor Teresa Sargeant Advertising John Peery Neal Fisher Kayla Leon General Manager Photographer Emeritus Tammy Keaton Neoma Knox Our position We must all work together to solve our country’s ills Our country is in turmoil right ing and looting that has been going now and it has nothing to do with on is due to those who are paid to COVID-19.