Orange County fights back against huge developers - how they're doing
Sound advice from folks fighting developers in Orange County Florida -- Craig Pittman in the Florida Phoenix : Use the talents of your neighbors. Bonilla had expertise in marketing, for instance, while other Save Orange County board members were versed in biology and other fields that became important to opposing any zoning changes. Attack from every angle. Save Orange County used everything from social media to Change.com petitions to door-to-door campaigns to spread the word about their crusade to stay rural. Don’t expect the paid government staff to take your side. They have likely been holding closed-door meetings with the developer and his or her consultants — who are probably former government employees. Weigh down your opponent. Even on that one project where they lost, they persuaded county officials to impose a host of conditions that has slowed construction. Point out how the development will damage existing homeowners. For instance, filling in wetlands is likely to se...