In 1985, Chapin was selected by the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce to head their "Project 2000", an effort to set millennial goals for the city in the areas of economic development, the arts, and transportation.
Her chosen successor, state senator Toni Jennings, declined to run and remained in Tallahassee, leaving two rival commissioners, conservative Tom Dorman and liberal Fran Pignone, competing for the role.
Chapin's time as Orange County Chair coincided with Glenda Hood's term as Mayor of Orlando, and the two women, along with Jennings and Dianna Fuller Morgan, Walt Disney World's Senior Vice President for Community and Government Relations, were recognized as the prominent figures of the local "old girl network".
[citation needed] On June 25, 1996, Chapin led the Orange County Commission in approving a $53 million subsidy to build a fourth interchange for Walt Disney World on Interstate 4.
She was nominated by acting Governor of Florida Buddy MacKay to complete the unexpired term of Fran Carlton, who had recently resigned as Orange County Clerk of the Courts.
In 2000, when local congressman Bill McCollum announced his candidacy to succeed Connie Mack in the U.S. Senate, Chapin ran for election to fill his vacant seat in the House of Representatives as a Democrat.