Joe Kilsheimer Unseats Long-standing Apopka Mayor John Land in Historic Election

The Florida city of Apopka was in the national spotlight as their 93-year-old Mayor John Land, the state’s longest sitting mayor since taking office in 1949, was challenged this year by former City Commissioner Joe Kilsheimer.

Tonight, with the Apopka election results in, it has been reported that Kilsheimer won the election with 54 percent of the vote. This big win comes despite the fact that Land, the incumbent, spent more than twice as much as Kilsheimer on the campaign.

Watch Apopka Mayor election results from WESH 2 News below

According to the Orlando Sentinel, in this most expensive election in Apopka’s history, Land spent close to $100,000 compared to roughly $40,000 by Kilsheimer.

The newspaper went on to report that Land told supporters, “I love Apopka still, but I’ll probably have a broken heart.”

Meanwhile, Kilsheimer told his supporters, “For the first time in our city’s history, both the old and new residents of Apopka are looking to have a say in how our city is run.”

When asked about whether he was surprised by the win, Kilsheimer responded saying that, “We were always confident about our prospects for winning. We knew what people in Apopka were telling us. They were looking for a new direction.”