About Us

What Is Stet News?

Stet News is a nonprofit, independent news site focused exclusively on Palm Beach County, led by the local journalists who created it, dedicated to the communities it serves, and accountable to all.

(And in case you’re wondering what the word stet means: From Latin, meaning “Let It Stand.” Used by editors in print copy to indicate that a word or passage previously deleted should be retained.)

Mission

Provide accurate, fair and unbiased news and information that helps readers hold public officials accountable, encourages them to engage in civic life, and reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve.

Why Stet News was created

Stet News was started to fill the gap in news and civic information left by the contraction of the county’s major newspaper and other community news and information sources.

With Palm Beach County’s growing population, now at more than 1.5 million residents, the need is greater than ever for strong local accountability reporting. Stet News makes the public aware of important decisions being made by government officials, businesses and other organizations that impact the health and wealth of residents and communities.

Studies show communities that don’t have steady, high-quality coverage have higher taxes, lower bond ratings, less voter turnout, less civic participation and more corruption. We believe a well-informed community is essential to making Palm Beach County a better place to live, work and play.

Original reporting

Since launching as a weekly digital newsletter in early 2023, Stet News has produced hundreds of original stories that otherwise would not have come to light. We also partner with WLRN public radio to distribute our content.

Ways we are serving the public:

• Alerting the public to major new commercial and residential projects.

• In-depth reporting on high-profile criminal cases and the justice system.

• Amplifying citizen voices on crucial actions taken by local governments, from annexation to development.

• Reporting on numerous government meetings and studies that would otherwise have gone uncovered.

• Injecting context and institutional knowledge into the public debate.

Team Members

Joel Engelhardt

Founder, Editor, Reporter

Joel’s award-winning newspaper career spanned more than 40 years. He worked as a reporter, editor and editorial writer over 28 years at The Palm Beach Post. Previously, he worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Greeley, Colo., and Peoria, Ill. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Joel left The Post in December 2020. He lives in Palm Beach Gardens and volunteers on the board of NAMI Palm Beach County, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the board of the Palm Beach Gardens Historical Society.

Carolyn DiPaolo

Founder, Editor, Reporter

Carolyn is a lifelong community journalist. For 20 years, she oversaw some of The Palm Beach Post’s most consequential news and business stories, including the “Corruption County” reporting that led to multiple arrests of elected officials. Carolyn co-founded Stet in February 2023. She lives in West Palm Beach with her husband Bill and their dog Bulkington.

Liz Capozzi

Founder

Liz leads Stet’s audience engagement, programs and operations. Liz’s work spans 30 years in corporate, nonprofit and creative roles spanning project, strategy and management work. Liz and her husband live in Lake Worth Beach with their two dogs.

Pam Fine

Founder (served 2024)

As an early supporter, Pam played a valuable role in helping us establish Stet as a nonprofit during its first year and we are grateful for her contributions.

Community Advisory Board

Tim Burke

Former publisher of The Palm Beach Post

Sergio Bustos

Vice president for news, WLRN Public Radio

Cheryl Crowley

Chair of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County

Prior to starting her public relations career, Cheryl worked in the newsroom of The Palm Beach Post for a decade. After leaving The Post to pursue public relations full-time, she became a PR assistant at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. She later became VP of public relations and membership at BallenIsles Country Club. In 1993, Cheryl was VP of a West Palm Beach media relations firm working with local, state and national clients. In 1997, Cheryl founded ImMEDIAcy PR, which she successfully ran for 25 years as one of the best-known and most accomplished public relations professionals in South Florida.

Cheryl brings an array of tools, services and experiences to nonprofit organizations. Throughout her career, she has served on more than 16 boards and committees, most notably 23 years serving on the board of the Literacy Coalition of PBC which amounted to more than $800,000 in volunteer hours and resources, culminating with President George W. Bush personally presenting Cheryl with the U.S. Freedom Corps President’s Call to Service Award. She has received 19 local, state and national awards for her volunteer work, including the EWPB Women in Leadership Award (Volunteer Sector), Bethesda Hospital Foundation Woman of Grace Award, Bank of America’s Local Hero Award, Town of Palm Beach Nettie Finkle Distinguished Volunteer Award, National Daily Points of Light Award and the Governor’s Points of Light Award.

One of the cornerstones of her business leadership has been a desire to help improve the community where she grew up. Cheryl’s focus now is on expanding awareness of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. As a life-long lover of the arts, Cheryl knows how exposure to the creative arts can elevate our mood, improve problem-solving abilities, open the mind and reduce stress and anxiety. Since joining the Cultural Council Board of Directors in 2022, Cheryl has served as chair of the Advocacy, Outreach and Events Committee, board vice chair and currently serves as the Cultural Council’s board chair.

Cheryl lives in Palm Beach Gardens with her husband, Brian, Zoe, the cat, and their newest addition to the family, 15 month-old rescue pup, Bonnie.

C.B. Hanif

Inlet Grove High School multimedia journalism instructor

Editor, South Florida Times; former Palm Beach Post editorial columnist and news ombudsman

Lisa LaFrance

Founder, LaFrance Project

Lisa LaFrance challenges outdated practices in the nonprofit sector, advocating for collaboration, transparency, efficiency and deeper donor engagement. She became a member of the giving circle Impact the Palm Beaches in 2019 and immediately joined (and later led) the Grant Review Committee. She learned a tremendous amount about the local nonprofit sector and traditional, institutional style grant-making. Lisa led the organization in the 2023-2024 season, contributing to growth from 149 members in 2019 to 396 members in her year as president.

Prior to moving to Palm Beach in 2014, Lisa spent more than 20 years as an investment professional, helping to launch Bogle Investment Management, a quantitative hedge fund firm, in 1999. Her investment and for-profit experience inform her perspective on nonprofit sector potential.

Pam Maldonado

Co-chair of voter services for the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County

Samantha Ragland

Senior vice president, American Press Institute

An award-winning local journalist, Samantha Ragland is a dynamic educator and strategist serving as senior vice president of the American Press Institute, where she leads the institute’s Local News Summits, small grants program, inclusion and digital transformation portfolios, as well as the Media Insights Project in collaboration with AP-NORC.

A proud Southerner, Sam’s work empowers local news organizations to connect with diverse communities through community engagement and local collaborations — developing sustainable practices for both the journalists and the business of journalism. Grounded in the belief that trust is something newsrooms practice, not simply claim, she helps leaders translate research, lived experience and community insight into actionable strategies for engagement and growth. A former faculty member and director of the flagship Leadership Academy for Women at The Poynter Institute, she has trained journalists globally on resilience, creativity and mental health. She is often called upon to convene cross-generational conversations on trust in practice, newsroom well-being, and leadership.

In her previous role as an editor at The Palm Beach Post, Sam defined and facilitated the digital transformation of the features section, launching an award-winning multicultural digital storytelling team whose goal was to cultivate trust and serve residents in the spaces they chose to be — from the feeds of Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook to the seats of local cafes, restaurants and community centers.

Richard Rampell

Retired accountant, philanthropist

Richard Rampell owned the largest CPA firm in Palm Beach for 40 years (now a part of BDO). He was on the board of National Public Radio for 18 years before joining the board of WLRN public radio station, the last years as chair. In the early 2000s he wrote a weekly column for The Wall Street Journal about accounting frauds. He is an honors graduate of Princeton University and has an master’s in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.