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On Memorial Day, 2002, Worldscan
scored a 'grand slam' when every Orlando TV station covered "Rally
Against the Regulations," a protest against unfair, unnecessary
and dangerous new restrictions on family boaters. Hundreds of boats
carrying thousands of boaters jammed local waterways. Worldscan's
work was on behalf of Citizens
for Florida's Waterways, a group that would usually receive
negative coverage when it received any at all. Local paper Florida
Today had ignored previous rallies, but gave this one and a follow-up
event front-page coverage.
Throughout 2002 Worldscan has been working
to build a coaltion supporting safe bike/hike lanes across Florida
causeways, on behalf of Ron
Pritchard, newly elected Brevard County Commissioner. Coastal
Florida counties have been trying for years to change outdated Transportation
policies that ban bikes and hikers on causeways -- a policy that
causes needless injuries and deaths. To date, the coalition has
won the support of three State Representatives, the Speaker of the
House, two State Senators, the Chamber of Commerce, Bike Florida
and area homeowners associations. Front page coverage in Florida
Today followed, plus extended coverage on Central Florida's all-news
Channel 13.
We've written hundreds of press releases. Personal favorites:
our paean to Western Publishing's one billionth Golden Book, which
landed on the front page of major papers like the Chicago Sun-Times,
and a fear-provoking dispatch on the bufo marinus toad. While
managing a veterinary conference in Orlando, we learned the toads,
whose poison can kill smaller pets, had hopped their way from Miami
right to the southern outskirts of Orlando. A sensationalized press
release had sensational results: Orlando media -- well, got all
hopped up. The story played for several days, then peaked after
an Orlando resident phoned a local TV station to report that one
of the frogs was in his front yard! The vets loved it.
Worldscan's principals relocated to Florida in 1998 after 20 years
in Chicago, finding fertile ground for their
inventive, effective public relations and public affairs know-how.
more accomplishments
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