This page explains exactly how Central Florida ADU Authority makes money, where affiliate relationships exist, and how those relationships do — and do not — influence what we publish. We take the view that readers are better served by clarity than by subtle hedging, so this page is written plainly.
How we make money
The site earns revenue in three ways.
Display advertising. We run a modest amount of display advertising through a standard ad network. Ad placement is algorithmic; advertisers do not know which specific articles their ads appear on and cannot request editorial placement. If an ad for a particular builder appears next to an article that mentions a different builder, that is coincidence, not coordination.
Affiliate links. A subset of links on the site — primarily in the costs, financing, and builders sections — are affiliate links. When a reader clicks an affiliate link and subsequently purchases a product or service, we earn a commission at no additional cost to the reader. We do not mark up prices, and affiliate partners cannot see that a referral came from our site at the moment of purchase; our commission is paid out of the partner’s existing margin.
Directory partnerships. We maintain a curated directory of Central Florida ADU builders, permit expediters, and financing providers. Some directory listings are paid placements (clearly marked as such); most are editorial (included on merit, unpaid). Paid directory placements cannot buy editorial ranking or coverage in our articles. The two categories are separate editorial surfaces with separate standards.
What partners cannot buy
Editorial coverage. We do not accept payment in exchange for articles, for favorable mentions in articles, for removing unfavorable mentions, or for influencing our rankings of builders, lenders, or products. If a partner offers us money to alter coverage, we decline; if they pressure us to soften factual reporting about code enforcement actions or licensing issues, we publish an explanation of the pressure.
Link insertions. We do not sell links. No partner can pay to have a link inserted into an article. Every outbound link on the site was placed by the editor for editorial reasons.
Review outcomes. When we evaluate a builder for directory inclusion, the criteria are state licensure, disciplinary history, photographic evidence of completed projects, client references we can verify, and Better Business Bureau standing. We do not alter these criteria based on payment.
Affiliate link notation
Affiliate links are marked with an inline disclosure near the link, and a footer-level disclosure appears on every article page. We follow the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines for affiliate disclosures as published in the FTC Endorsement Guides. If you see a link that appears to be affiliated but is not marked, email us and we will correct it.
Specific affiliate relationships
The following partners have active affiliate relationships with the site as of the last update: [list maintained as relationships are added; current active partners are named on the specific pages where their products are discussed].
Editorial independence statement
The author of this site is financially independent of the builders, lenders, and software vendors covered in our content. We do not hold equity in any featured partner. We do not accept gifts beyond standard review units of software, and we disclose those when they influence coverage. If we ever enter an equity or employment relationship with a covered partner, we will either cease coverage of that partner or provide a prominent conflict-of-interest disclosure on every page that references them.
Questions
Email hello@centralfloridaadu.com with any question about this policy or about a specific relationship. We respond within 48 hours.