In August 2021 the leaders of Apopka voted to buy the much-loved 100-year-old Camp Wewa to save it from being razed by a developer for another residential subdivision.

But since paying $4.72 million to YMCA of Central Florida for the 70-acre idyllic playground in northwest Orange County, the city has spent $3.62 million on camp improvements and operations while generating less than a million dollars in revenue over a four-year period.

Now City Council members find themselves debating the future of the Binion Road facility where thousands of youths spent summers making friends, learning about nature and having fun — including future mayors of Apopka and Orlando, Bryan Nelson and Glenda Hood, respectively. The question is not simply whether Camp Wewa is too costly, but also whether it’

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