Dear readers,
As the editor-in-chief of the South Florida ֱ for the past six years, I have focused our newsroom on in-depth journalism unique to living in South Florida.
Local journalism is essential to a healthy democracy. Newspapers provide a necessary spotlight on the institutions that govern our civic life.
This week we will publish an investigative series on illicit activity happening right under our noses, or rather in our shopping centers and strip malls: illegal and unregulated arcades. Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter David Fleshler spent months researching how gambling operators are setting up in nondescript stores, how they get away with it, and the consequences for customers who feel they have no recourse when things go south.
With another hurricane season in the books, property insurers will be adjusting how they approach rates and policies in vulnerable coastal communities like ours. Consumer business reporter Ron Hurtibise has covered the insurance situation all year as homeowners are forced to pay more for less coverage or suddenly find themselves with no insurance at all.
Earlier this year we published a special report on the high rate of babies dying in Florida even while the healthcare community has tried for 10 years to bring down the infant mortality rate. Health reporter Cindy Krischer Goodman talked to families and experts on what went wrong and possible solutions.
And the ֱ presented vital information to our readers about candidates running for local office in this year’s elections. Our editorial board conducted its own interviews and offered its recommendations for voters.
These stories — and others like them — take hundreds of hours of digging, and thousands of dollars to report.
We know there are more out there waiting to be reported, but we can use your help.
How? You can make a tax-deductible contribution to the ֱ Community News Fund to help fund our investigative reporting and other vital local journalism. You can go to or send a check to Florida Press Foundation, 1025 Greenwood Blvd., Suite 121, Lake Mary, FL, 32746 and note it is for the ֱ.
The Florida Press Foundation set up the Fund in 2020 to help the Sentinel and other newspapers expand their journalism. If you have given to the Fund in the past, thank you. We hope you and others will consider providing us a boost for 2025.
Best regards,
Julie Anderson
