PAM Articles 
Living Democracy in Theory and Practice: Getting Dirty in a Local Government Incorporation Process
THOMAS A. BRYER
PAM, Vol. 15 No. 1,
(2010)
Poinciana, Florida is a growing community in Central Florida. The master homeowners association contracted for an incorporation feasibility study to determine whether Poinciana could survive as a city. This article describes the public participation process designed and implemented as part of the feasibility study and articulates the goals, principles, and venues of the design, the challenges or barriers confronted, and suggestions for revisions to statutory guidelines for incorporation are described with the purpose of moving towards the institutionalization of public participation as a cultural norm.