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Austin Arthur and Ken Pozek of the Orlando Real

Growth, Infrastructure, and Leadership:
Austin Arthur's Vision for West Orange County

Austin Arthur is running for Orange County Commissioner in District 1, which covers West Orange County including Winter Garden, Oakland, Horizon West, and other rapidly growing areas.

 

A Miami native who moved to the area 17 years ago, Arthur emphasizes his experience as a regular community member rather than a career politician, serving on 12 community boards and living in Winter Garden with his family. The recent primary election was extraordinarily close, with only two votes separating the candidates, leading to a runoff election in November 2024.

The main focus of Arthur's campaign is addressing infrastructure challenges in West Orange County, particularly regarding roads and school capacity struggling to keep up with rapid development. He criticizes the current system where infrastructure improvements often come after development, creating issues like flooding and traffic congestion. Arthur advocates for a more predictable development process, noting that many property owners are choosing to annex into cities like Orlando because the county's current approach is unpredictable and difficult to work with.

Arthur positions himself as a partnership-focused leader rather than an activist, emphasizing the importance of working collaboratively with county staff, landowners, and other municipalities in order to serve residents. He supports making it harder to develop rural land through a super-majority requirement but opposes a controversial annexation amendment that he believes would be unconstitutional and counterproductive. He argues that the current commissioner's activist approach has led to deteriorating conditions and emphasizes the need for practical leadership that can balance various interests while maintaining the area's character.

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