The Florida Times-Union won top honors in the Florida Press Club’s annual Excellence in Journalism Competition Saturday for its story about the secret deal and the public collapse of an effort to privatize the country’s eighth-largest community-owned utility, JEA.
The year-long investigation won the Frances DeVore Award for Public Service, an award named for the club’s founder, and the Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting. The series included dozens of interviews with people across city government and the private sector who were involved in the ultimately canceled JEA sale.
For nearly 70 years, the Florida Press Club has been honoring the best in Florida journalism from layout to photography to writing. It was originally called the Florida Women’s Press Club, as no other clubs allowed women to compete when it was started. Honorees have expanded to include men and digital-only publications.
The work honored Saturday was published between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021.
Illustration, Artist Illustration, Class A-C
- Joe Bird, The Islander
- Colin Smith, The Villages Daily Sun
Illustration, Editorial Cartooning, Class A-C
- Steve Borggren, Anna Maria Island Sun
- Steve Borggren, Anna Maria Island Sun
- Bryan Steel, Simon Steel, Embrace Magazine
Layout, Feature Page Design, Class A-B
- Colin Smith, Chelsea Manzo, The Villages Daily Sun
- Adam Rogers, The Villages Daily Sun
- Anderson Greene, City & Shore Magazine, the Sun Sentinel
Layout, Feature Page Design, Class C
- Joe DeLeon, Embrace Magazine
Layout, Front Page Design, Class A-B
- Adam Rogers, Colin Smith, The Villages Daily Sun
- Adam Rogers, The Villages Daily Sun
- Colin Smith, Adam Rogers, The Villages Daily Sun
Layout, Front Page Design, Class C
- Jake Stevens, South Florida Business Journal
- Steve Codrado, Akers Media Group
- Joe DeLeon, Embrace Magazine
Layout, Sports Page Design, Class A-C
- Colin Smith, Chris Siegel, The Villages Daily Sun
- Colin Smith, Chris Siegel, Adam Rogers, The Villages Daily Sun
- Joe DeLeon, Embrace Magazine
Online, Affiliated News Site, Class A-C
- Staff, South Florida Business Journal
- Cindy Lane, Anna Maria Island Sun
Online, Independent News Site, Class A-C
- Matt Rothman, Parkland Talk
- Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer
- Jeff Hardison, HardisonInk.com
Photography, Breaking News, Class A-C
- Tiffany Tompkins, Bradenton Herald
- Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Gazette
- Tiffany Tompkins, Bradenton Herald
Photography, Feature Photo Essay, Class A
- George Horsford, The Villages Daily Sun
- Rachael Stuart, The Villages Daily Sun
Photography, Feature Photo Essay, Class B-C
- Magnus Hastings Embrace Magazine
- Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Gazette
- Jock Fistick, South Florida Business Journal
Photography, Features, Class A-B
- Cindy Skop The Villages Daily Sun
- George Horsford, The Villages Daily Sun
- Bill Mitchell, The Villages Daily Sun
Photography, Features, Class C
- Conan Segrest, Donna Davis, Embrace Magazine
- Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Gazette
- Jock Fistick, South Florida Business Journal
Photography, General News, Class A
- Rachel Stuart, The Villages Daily Sun
- Bill Mitchell, The Villages Daily Sun
- Cindy Skop, The Villages Daily Sun
Photography, General News, Class B-C
- Tiffany Tompkins, Bradenton Herald
- Tiffany Tompkins, Bradenton Herald
Photography, Portrait/Personality, Class A
- Rachel Stuart, The Villages Daily Sun
- Cindy Skop, The Villages Daily Sun
- Michael Johnson, The Villages Daily Sun
Photography, Portrait/Personality, Class B-C
- Jock Fistick, South Florida Business Journal
- Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Gazette
- Jake Stevens, Jay New, Embrace Magazine
Photography, Sports Action, Class A
- Michael Johnson, The Villages Daily Sun
- Rachel Stuart, The Villages Daily Sun
- Bill Mitchell, The Villages Daily Sun
Photography, Sports Action, Class B-C
- Mark Blumenthal, Palatka Daily News
- Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Gazette
Photography, Sports Feature, Class A
- Michael Johnson, The Villages Daily Sun
- Rachel Stuart, The Villages Daily Sun
- Bill Mitchell, The Villages Daily Sun
Photography, Sports Feature, Class B-C
- Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Gazette
- Asun Capalaungan, Embrace Magazine
Special Awards, Frances DeVore Award for Public Service, Class A-C
- Nate Monroe, David Bauerlein, Christopher Hong, Mark Woods, Florida Times-Union
- Bobby Block, Alessandro Sassoon Mara Bellaby, Florida Today
- Staff, Florida Times-Union
Special Awards, Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting, Class A-B
- Nate Monroe, David Bauerlein, Christopher Hong, Mark Woods
- Staff, The Villages Daily Sun
- Nada Hassanein, Tallahassee Democrat
Special Awards, Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting, Class C
- George Andreassi, Vero News
- John Sotomayor, Embrace Magazine
Special Awards, “That is So … Florida, ” Class A-C
- Ron Hayes, The Coastal Star
- Cindy Lane, Anna Maria Island Sun
Special Sections, Class A
- Cassie Armstrong, Anderson Greene, Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel
- Staff, The Villages Daily Sun
- Staff, The Villages Daily Sun
Special Sections, Class B-C
- Staff, South Florida Business Journal
- Mike Field, Cindy Lane, Joe Hendricks, Kristin Swain, Anna Maria Island Sun
- Bonner Joy, Lisa Neff, Toni Lyon, Joe Bird, The Islander
Writing, Art News, Class A-C
- Sara Giza, Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, Embrace Magazine
Writing, Breaking News, Class A-B
- Ryan Callihan, Bradenton Herald
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Pos
Writing, Breaking News, Class C
- Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer
- Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News
- Mary Hladky, Rich Pollack, The Coastal Star
Writing, Business News, Class A
- Michael Salerno, The Villages Daily Sun
- Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel
- Keith Pearlman, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Business News, Class B
- Jim Abbott, Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Mark Young, Bradenton Herald
Writing, Business News, Class C
- Joel Engelhardt, Florida Bulldog
- Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News
- Jason Parsley, South Florida Gay News
Writing, Commentary, Class A
- Nate Monroe, Florida Times-Union
- Mark Woods, Florida Times-Union
- Mark Gauert, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Writing, Commentary, Class B
- John Torres, Florida Today
- Mark Lane, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Writing, Commentary, Class C
- Jason Parsley, South Florida Gay News
- Joe Henderson, FloridaPolitics.com
- Mary Kate Leming, The Coastal Star
Writing, Community News, Class A
- Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
- Jane Musgrave, Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach
Writing, Community News, Class B
- Bobby Block, Alessandro Sassoon Mara Bellaby, Florida Today
- Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Erica Van Buren, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Writing, Community News, Class C
- John Sotomayor, Sara Gita, Embrace Magazine
- Sarana Jamraj, Parkland Talk
Writing, COVID-19 Breaking News, Class A
- Chris Persaud, John Pacenti, The Palm Beach Post
- Bill Zimmerman, Bill Thompson, The Villages Daily Sun
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
Writing, COVID-19, Breaking News, Class B
- Giuseppe Sabella, Bradenton Herald
- Ryan Ballogg, Bradenton Herald
- Jessica De Leon, Bradenton Herald
Writing, COVID-19, Breaking News, Class C
- Ryan Paice, The Islander
- Charles Elmore, The Coastal Star
- Mary Hladky, The Coastal Star
Writing, COVID-19 Business News, Class A-C
- Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News
- M.M. Cloutier, Palm Beach Daily News
- Charles Elmore, The Coastal Star
Writing, COVID-19 Features Reporting, Class A
- Mark Woods, Florida Times-Union
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
- Jeff Shain, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, COVID-19 Features Reporting, Class B
- Ryan Ballogg, Bradenton Herald
Writing, COVID-19 Features Reporting, Class C
- John Sotomayor, Embrace Magazine
- Roxanne Brown, Akers Media Group
- Staff, The Coastal Star
Writing, Education News, Class A-B
- Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel
- Emily Bloch, Florida Times-Union
- Giuseppe Sabella, Bradenton Herald
Writing, Education News, Class C
- B.C. Manion, The Laker/Lutz News
- B.C. Manion, The Laker/Lutz News
- B.C. Manion, The Laker/Lutz News
Writing, Environmental News, Class A
- Michael Salerno, The Villages Daily Sun
- Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union
Writing Environmental News, Class B
- Ryan Callihan, Bradenton Herald
- Jim Waymer, Florida Today
- Ryan Ballogg, Bradenton Herald
Writing, Environmental News, Class C
- Lisa Neff, The Islander
- Larry Barszewski, The Coastal Star
- Larry Keller, The Coastal Star
Writing, General News, Class A-B
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
- Wayne Washington, Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
- Joel Engelhardt, The Palm Beach Post
Writing, General News, Class C
- George Andreassi, Vero News
- Jason Parsley, South Florida Gay News
- Scott Powers, FloridaPolitics.com
Writing, Government News, Class A-B
- Lisa J. Huriash, Sun-Sentinel
- Mark Harper, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Curt Hills, David Corder, Keith Pearlman, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Government News, Class C
- B.C. Manion, The Laker/Lutz News
- Rich Pollack, The Coastal Star
- Joel Engelhardt, Ongardens.org
Writing, Headline Writing, Class A-B
- Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel
Writing, Headline Writing, Class C
- John Sotomayor, Rob Anderson, Embrace Magazine
- James Combs, Akers Media Group
- James Combs, Akers Media Group
Writing, Health Writing, Class A-C
- Brian Bandell, South Florida Business Journal
- Joyce Reingold, The Coastal Star
- James Combs, Akers Media Group
Writing, Light Features, Class A-B
- Mark Gauert, City & Shore Magazine, the Sun Sentinel
- Michael Fortuna, The Villages Daily Sun
- Rachel Stamford, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Light Features, Class C
- B.C. Manion, The Laker/Lutz News
- James Combs, Akers Media Group
- Theresa Campbell, Akers Media Group
Writing, Minority News, Class A-B
- Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
- Joe Capozzi, Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
- Chris Persaud, The Palm Beach Post
Writing, Minority News, Class C
- John Sotomayor, Krisie Bell, Embrace Magazine
- Larry Keller, The Coastal Star
- Jason Parsley, South Florida Gay News
Writing, Opinion Writing, Class A-C
- James Combs, Akers Media Group
Writing, Public Safety, Class A-C
- Rich Pollack, The Coastal Star
- Jessica De Leon, Bradenton Herald
- Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer
Writing, Religion News, Class A-C
- James Dinan, The Villages Daily Sun
- James Dinan, The Villages Daily Sun
- Roxanne Brown, Akers Media Group
Writing, Serious Features, Class A-B
- Joe Capozzi, The Palm Beach Post
- David Corder, Leah Schwarting, The Villages Daily Sun
- Giuseppe Sabella, Bradenton Herald
Writing, Serious Features, Class C
- D’Ann White, Tampa Patch.com
- D’Ann White, Tampa Patch.com
- Rich Pollack, The Coastal Star
Writing, Sports Columns, Class A-B
- Jeff Shain, The Villages Daily Sun
- Jeff Shain, The Villages Daily Sun
- Cody Hills, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Sports Columns, Class C
- Mark Blumenthal, Palatka Daily News
- Willie Howard, The Coastal Star
Writing, Sports Features, Class A-B
- Joe Capozzi, The Palm Beach Post
- Cody Hills, The Villages Daily Sun
- Jeff Shain, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Sports Features, Class C
- Brian Biggane, The Coastal Star
- Kevin Weiss, The Laker/Lutz New
- John Sotomayor, Embrace Magazine
Writing, Sports Writing, Class A-B
- Cody Hills, The Villages Daily Sun
- Jeff Shain, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Sports Writing, Class C
- Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer
- John Sotomayor, Embrace Magazine
Writing, Travel and Tourism, Class A-B
- Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, City & Shore Magazine, the South Florida Sun Sentinel
- Michael Salerno, The Villages Daily Sun
- Michael Salerno, The Villages Daily Sun
Writing, Travel and Tourism, Class C
- Mike Fallon, Embrace Magazine
- Kevin Weiss, The Laker/Lutz News