The Sunshine State Awards recognize statewide excellence in reporting, writing and photography.

We are happy to share that Stet News is a finalist in three categories of a prestigious statewide competition.
Why it matters: The Sunshine State Awards are Florida’s oldest and largest recognition of excellence in journalism.
The categories where Stet is a finalist are:
🌐 Independent news website – StetNews.org.
- Entries are judged on overall value to readers and depth and originality of news content.
✉️ Digital newsletter – Stet News’ weekly newsletter.
- We entered newsletters that covered Palm Beach Gardens’ decision to lease a neighborhood park for an ice rink, the dismantling of the historic steps at the landmark Harriet Himmel Theatre in CityPlace and the heart-health of Sheriff Ric Bradshaw when he was seeking reelection.
- Stet news partner WLRN’s arts newsletter by Alyssa Ramos is also a finalist.
🕵🏼♂️ Community beat reporting – Stet Co-founder Joel Engelhardt.
- Joel’s stories covered Juno Beach’s crackdown on public comments at meetings and the fallout that led to the resignation of a council member.
- Stet contributor Joe Capozzi is also a finalist in this category for his work at ByJoeCapozzi.com.
Of note: Joe is a finalist in another category, obituary reporting, for his story about Willie Parson, “the mayor of Clematis Street.”
Flashback: Joel won first place in the Sunshine State Awards last year for reporting about the environment, science and technology, an award he shared with FAU student journalist Jessica Abramsky.
- Your Stet newsletter was a finalist for best in the state in 2024, the first year we were eligible to compete.
What’s next: The Society for Professional Journalism will announce winners and runners-up in September in Fort Lauderdale. Here is the full list of finalists.
