Leading Political Journalist to Address Florida’s Upcoming Legislative Session

One of Florida’s leading political journalists will share her thoughts on the upcoming legislative session and will reflect on the current battles over redistricting at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Mary Ellen Klas, capital bureau chief for the Miami Herald will speak as part of the “Next Florida” speaker series—a partnership series between the Bob Graham Center and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication. The program will be held at 6 p.m. in Pugh Hall (map) at the University of Florida.

This is a pivotal year in state politics. The Florida House will begin the once-a-decade process of redrawing Florida’s state legislative and congressional district boundary lines. Those lines can significantly alter the demographic makeup of a community and have a dramatic impact on representation at all levels of government.

There are few journalists who bring more experience to this issue than Mary Ellen Klas. A graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Klas anchors some of the most thorough coverage of Florida government and politics at a time when many newspapers have cut back on their Tallahassee operations. In addition to traditional newspaper coverage, Klas is active in the Herald’s political blog, the influential “Naked Politics,” and in social media.

Before becoming bureau chief for the Herald in 2004, she was Tallahassee bureau chief for Florida Trend magazine and also served as a senior writer for the Palm Beach Post. She was bureau chief for the Palm Beach Post from 1990-94.

Posted: October 31, 2011
Category: College News