ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Orange City officials have appointed two new candidates to the city council after multiple members resigned in December. They cited privacy concerns over Florida’s new financial disclosure law, Senate Bill 774, that requires elected officials to disclose their net worth and assets valued at more than $1,000.

Several other Central Florida cities have dealt with similar issues, including Casselberry, Windermere and Daytona Beach Shores.

Harold Grimm was appointed to the District 1 seat and Anthony Pupello will take the At-Large seat.

Pupello, who was among six other applicants for the seat, previously served in the council from 2009 to 2018.

Grimm was the only person to apply for the District 1 position.

Each candidate spoke and took questions from city leaders as they worked against the clock to fill the positions.

“I think the process was open to everyone to be able to participate, either from district one or at large,” said city manager Dale Arrington. “We made sure that we got the word out there, even if it meant going to some of the larger apartment complexes and dropping off information bulletins.”

She says council members were looking for someone with the qualities needed to run the city effectively.

“I think they’re looking for someone who is knowledgeable about the city,” said Arrington. “And who is willing to devote some hours and hard work into reviewing all of the policy decisions that are needed to be made to keep this city running and moving forward.”

The official swearing in ceremony is scheduled for the next regular council meeting that will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

The newly appointed members will serve until the next scheduled election in November, 2024.