In the summer of 2013, anger grew in the Bloomingdale area of Eastern Hillsborough County over an amendment that changed a property land usage from a neighborhood development to mixed-use. The community felt they had been sucker-punched — the county hadn’t given due notice about such a change, they felt, paving the way for a big-box development that they absolutely did not want. So they formed the group and went to court, challenging the county. Though they lost that battle (and maybe the war, since a recent settlement with the developer could still see such a project built), they learned about the power of organizing, and vow that they won’t get fooled again.
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2014.