The long-awaited Orange Technical College - Apopka Campus will honor local icon

"The people have spoken! The new Orange Technical College - Apopka Campus, opening in 2023, will be dedicated to Dr. Shirley Sharpe-Terrell. A "servant leader" who passed away in December 2021, Dr. Sharpe-Terrell was a key problem solver for the community south of Apopka as the longtime District 2 commissioner's aide. A community survey gathered more than 1,300 responses in December, and Sharpe-Terrell was the resounding winner, garnering more than 68 percent of the vote. Be on the lookout for communication about a grand opening event coming this spring. Orange Technical College."

That's how The Orange County Public Schools described it on its Facebook page yesterday, but the history of this project dates back well beyond 2023.

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Here is how The Apopka Voice covered the acquisition of this land in 2016. Pay close attention to the names of elected officials and their titles at the time:

South Apopka struggled mightily this spring. Drug-related crime, death, and shootings dominated the headlines for weeks. It was so grim the South Apopka Ministerial Alliance formed a task force to fight the near-epidemic violence.

Spring looked more like a cold, dark winter.

But finally, a green shoot of growth emerged in a small lot on 14^th Street and South Central Avenue.

A convenience store near Phillis Wheatley Elementary School sold its property to The Orange County Public School System. The property is notorious for loitering, noise, and criminal activity. But this dingy, windowless yellow building will make way for an adult education center. Neighborhood residents can use this facility to continue their education, earn high school diplomas, apply for jobs or take English courses.

It's a breath of fresh air to one of the poorest neighborhoods in Apopka. And one in dire need of some good news. 

"After many years of diligent pursuit by our school board member Christine Moore, Orange County Public Schools is about to turn an eyesore into a community asset," said Apopka Mayor Joe Kilsheimer. "It bodes well for the future of South Apopka."

A three-year process comes to a happy ending

Moore, who represents District 7 on the Orange County Public School Board (which includes all of Apopka), explained that this was a three-year process that nearly didn't happen.

"It all started in 2013 with a meeting between (OCPS Superintendent) Barbara Jenkins, leaders from the (South Apopka) Ministerial Alliance, and myself," she said. "We wanted to build a replacement school for Phillis Wheatley Elementary, but the consensus was that the convenience store had to go."

In 2014, State Senator Geraldine Thompson and then State Representative Bryan Nelson introduced legislation in the Florida Legislature to gain a grant to purchase the property. Nelson made sure the grant made it onto the state budget but then was termed out of the Legislature.

To close the process, a new sponsor would need to emerge.

Moore reached out to newly elected Representative Jennifer Sullivan to be the sponsor. Sullivan was a first-term 23-year-old home-schooled Lake County native, but she took the bull by the horns, according to Moore.

With Sullivan and Thompson at the helm in Tallahassee, legislation passed and OCPS had their grant. Two years later, OCPS completed the replacement school for Phillis Wheatley Elementary, but negotiations with the convenience store owner were more difficult than expected. For months the two sides were nowhere close to coming to terms, and with a July 1^st, 2016 deadline to close. It seemed the project was doomed, which meant the grant money would return again to the state.

But in the final days, a deal emerged. OCPS paid over $400,000 for a property that appraised at less than $180,000, and the purchase took place before the deadline. OCPS will take ownership of the property on August 1st, 2016.

"It was a three-year, team effort that made the difference towards OCPS taking possession of the property for the adult education center," said Moore. We look forward to the good it will do in the community."

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Well, almost seven years since its acquisition, that little piece of property on 14th Street in South Apopka next to Wheatley will be an asset to the community and honor a truly iconic figure in Dr. Shirley Terrell-Sharpe.

Melissa Byrd, the current District 7 (which includes Apopka and South Apopka) OCPS Board member, was pleased with the choice. 

"Wow, 1,300 votes!! Byrd said on her Facebook page. "Our community in Apopka is so excited about this Orange Technical College campus opening soon. Way to go, Apopka! Dr. Sharpe-Terrell is very deserving of this honor."