In what looks like a sharp message to developers to keep their hands off our trees, first-time candidate Emily Bonilla took a decisive victory over incumbent Orange County Commissioner Ted Edwards.

Despite having raised only a tenth of the campaign cash that Edwards’ campaign did, Bonilla took 57 percent with 44,814 votes to Edwards’ 43 percent, 33,761 votes.

Earlier this year, Bonilla led the fight against two controversial developments east of the Econlockhatchee River that would put about 4,000 homes in an ecologically sensitive area. After Edwards, a lawyer for developers by trade, spearheaded approval of the Grow and Sustany, Bonilla founded environmental group East of the Econ and protested Edwards’ decision along with hundreds of east Orange County residents.

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This article appears in Nov 2-8, 2016.

Jessica Bryce Young has been working with Orlando Weekly since 2003, serving as copy editor, dining editor and arts editor before becoming editor in chief in 2016.