Kohler has served under three mayors and 29 council members, longer than anyone else in a comparable position in Central Florida. The mayors, Carl Langford, Bill Frederick and Glenda Hood, were all pro-development, Kohler says, but Frederick was probably the most aggressive.

"You have to remember his 12 years in office came during some of Orlando's greatest expansion periods," Kohler tells GlobeSt.com. "The times themselves were right for development."

Kohler also heads the Community Redevelopment Agency which has coordinated the growth and private investment of at least 10,000 new Downtown apartment units in the past five years. The agency has provided $70 million in economic incentives to developers over the years.