Meet SEJ member Craig Pittman! Craig is a native Floridian. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him "the most destructive force on campus." Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature. From 1998 to 2020, he covered environmental issues for Florida's largest newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times, winning state and national awards. He now writes a weekly column for the Florida Phoenix and co-hosts the popular "Welcome to Florida" podcast. He is the author of six non-fiction books, and in 2020 was named a Florida Literary Legend by the Florida Heritage Book Festival. His fifth book, "Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther," was hailed as one of the top 20 books of 2020 by Garden & Gun magazine. His latest book, published in September, is "The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife."
When asked how SEJ membership has made his job easier, Craig said, "It's good to know there are colleagues out there sharing the same challenges in covering the environment, and often the SEJ organization and members offer resources that I would have a hard time finding on my own. The few conferences I have been able to attend — including the one in Miami — have invariably yielded story ideas galore." Join Craig in the SEJ community today!
Check out more of Craig's work:
- "The Race To Rescue Florida's Coral Reef," Flamingo magazine, June 8, 2021.
- "Hunting Pythons With the Ladies of the Glades," Flamingo magazine, July 1, 2020.
- "The Scent of Scandal: Greed, Betrayal, and the World's Most Beautiful Orchid" (University Press of Florida, 2014).
Find Craig:
Twitter @craigtimes
Facebook /craigtimes
Instagram @craigpittman78
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