On March 17, Garcia leaves this newsroom to join the staff there as a senior accountability reporter where the Times told him he will cover local law enforcement, and statewide entities like FDLE, the Department of Corrections, Highway Patrol, plus Governor Ron DeSantis’ dumbass Florida State Guard and Office of Election Crimes and Security.
The hire also gets Garcia—who started at CL as a freelancer in 2019 before becoming our first post -pandemic layoff hire in June 2021—off the local city hall beat (you’re welcome, Jane Castor and Tampa City Council).
The news also means CL is now chomping at the bit to find a new full-time staff writer excited to speak up for people whose voices, stories and struggles are ignored or mischaracterized by other local outlets.
The job pays in the $45,000-$51,000 range, plus monthly and quarterly bonuses.
Our staff writers are part of a fast-paced newsroom driven by a small and dedicated team ready to pivot when news breaks and cook longer stories on the side. The ideal candidate is comfortable making public record requests and growing sources, then following up with them over and over again—all while providing unique insight and context to the news of the day.
You’ll also be free to contribute to our arts, food and music coverage, and partake in all the parties and special events CL throws throughout the year. It’s fun as hell.
Our parent company, Euclid Media Group (EMG), also operates alt-weeklies in Orlando, San Antonio, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Louisville, so you’ll have access to fellow journalists and resources across the South and Midwest.
EMG also offers PTO and a competitive compensation package including health, dental and vision insurance.
Anyone interested in being this publication’s next staff writer should email clips and a resume to me (rroa@cltampa.com) with Euclid Media Group’s Executive Editor Sarah Fenske on CC (sfenske@euclidmediagroup.com). We look forward to hearing from you.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2023.