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Flott Uses Her Expertise To Empower Other Residents

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

SEFFNER - Terry Flott's battle to scale back plans for 100 acres of apartments, homes and stores have led to years of activism in the rural community.

"We were successful in having it sized down, but I couldn't let it go. It kind of ballooned from there," she said.

In 2003, she founded the Seffner Community Alliance and immersed herself in zoning codes, the comprehensive land-use plan and many other aspects of county government, becoming an expert others often call on when fighting development battles in their own neighborhoods.

Today, Flott, 57, serves as chairwoman of United Citizens' Action Network, or U-CAN, an alliance of rural activists determined to have a say in the molding of their communities.

"The goal is to have a means by which to have a voice in the county," she said. "As a group, we can have more of an effect, a kind of empowerment."

Flott, who lives in one of the area's older subdivisions, lives on a small piece of property that abuts the county's rural outlands, an uncluttered area of longtime residents who prefer some space between their homes and buffers blocking commercial areas.

"We aren't against growth," she says. "We are trying to prevent uncontrolled growth. With U-CAN, our role is to educate folks by keeping them informed and sharing information. It is what makes a difference."

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