- Garcia joined CL's full-time staff in June 2021 after launching his byline with 2019 profiles of local weirdos like John Moll and Skunk the busker, then turning his focus to the Florida penal system, housing, gay commies, police accountability and more.
- He most recently unearthed video of Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor using her badge to get out of a traffic stop, eventually forcing the troubled chief's resignation.
Yes, but: Garcia—who is under the "Ones To Watch" section of the list—took a journalism class Montgomery taught at USF. Axios says, "Ben takes no credit. "
What They're Saying: San Felice and Montgomery added that Garcia "has helped make Creative Loafing a vital read once again."
- We agree that Justin had elevated CL to new heights in a way only he can, but think that Axios would still regularly aggregate our reporting and turn it into little bullet points even if Garcia never accepted our job offer.
- Just kidding.
- We like seeing CL reporting opening your newsletter, guys.
The Pulp: We're proud of juice.
💻Communications expert and Creative Loafing Tampa Bay contributor Timothy Burke—who more importantly made Deadspin great for seven years—was also named in Axios Local's "Power Players" list, with the publication lauding Burke's command of Twitter, plus his big year, which included an appearance on Netflix.
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😎 Kyla says that while she thinks their jobs at CL are vastly different, that it's truly an honor to work alongside someone who is so clearly dedicated to his craft and the overall character of our paper. And he’s just like, really cool.
🤗 Ray is grateful to work next to Justin, and our entire team, every day and also wonders how long it's going to be until Axios steals him away.
🙏🏽 Colin is reminding Ray that CL is lucky to have Justin in our ranks and to enjoy the ride.
