About Diane Velazquez

Diane Velazquez was first elected to the Apopka City Council in 2014 and has dedicated her service to strengthening neighborhoods, protecting taxpayers, and improving quality of life. She has championed investments in parks and community spaces, including the Apopka Skatepark, the Inclusive Playground at Northwest Recreation, the Billie Dean Community Center, the Splash Pad, and Lake Avenue Park. Fulfilling a commitment with personal ties, she and her husband Ed worked with Christian Lamphere and a team of staff to make the Apopka 9/11 Memorial a reality. 

From the dais, Diane has consistently held developers accountable—negotiating improvements that enhance neighborhood appearance and prioritize public safety, especially for children. She has voted to increase impact fees, so developers pay their fair share, strengthen public safety through facilities, staffing, equipment, and training, and adopt policies that protect Apopka taxpayers from fraud and favoritism.

A compassionate, hands-on leader, Diane remains accessible to residents, listens closely to their concerns, and works collaboratively to deliver practical solutions for the community.

Diane is a true servant in the community, holding memberships in various clubs and organizations.  As a member of the Apopka Woman's Club, Diane served as Co-Chair of the Apopka Art & Foliage Festival in 2018 and 2019, and Chair of the Scholarship Committee in 2020 and 2021.  She is a founding member of the Apopka Kiwanis Club, a volunteer at Elks Lodge #2422 hosting dinners for disabled veterans, a board member and volunteer for the Miss Apopka Scholarship Committee, a Mentor with the Reading with Heroes Program, and supporter of the Armando Borjas Jr. Scholarship Foundation.   

Diane and her husband Ed established roots in Apopka in 2005, after both retired from the NYPD.  Diane is a retired detective, having served as a medical insurance fraud investigator.  In addition to his service in law enforcement, Diane's husband, Ed, is a 9/11 First Responder and Vietnam Veteran.  She and Ed have two adult sons--one a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan--and two grandchildren, Mariah and Julius.