Gainesville Sun staff honored with four awards at annual FSNE conference in Orlando

The Gainesville Sun staff was honored Thursday with four awards — including two first-place honors — during the annual Florida Society of News Editors conference in Orlando.

The annual journalism contest recognizes work across the Sunshine State's newspaper industry and features some of the best reporters and editors in the business.

Local News Editor Alan Festo earned first place in the Business category for a collection of stories, including for his coverage of the move-in delays at the UFORA Gainesville apartment complex. Due to the delays, students were forced to live in hotels and on friends' couches as they waited for the eight-story building to finally open more than two months after initially scheduled.

He also reported on how rising costs led to the closure of several local restaurants, including Halo Potato Donuts and Swamp Boil. La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant, which also had planned to close, has remained open following the addition of another investor.

Finally, his coverage of the retirements of Bagleland owners J.T. Phimon and his wife, Debbie, captured the love and hard work it takes to keep a business running for 40 years.

Also picking up a first-place award was photographer Doug Engle, who earned top honors in the Sports Photography category for a collection of eye-catching moments, including a shot of former Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson silhouetted against a large window at the Condron Family Indoor Practice Facility, a collision during a Santa Fe College women's basketball game, and a funny celebration on a high school diamond in Lake City.

Former Sun Local News Editor Andrew Caplan and government reporter Nora O’Neill placed second in the Community Leadership category for their extensive coverage on the political takeover of Gainesville Regional Utilities. The series of articles chronicled how the state Legislature took away the city of Gainesville’s decision-making powers for the utility and placed it in the hands of a new board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Sun’s reporting found that none of the members met eligibility requirements passed by the Legislature, which ultimately led to a lawsuit from a citizens group. The entire board resigned in lieu of being removed. The Sun also obtained, with legal assistance, a full list of applicants for the board, which the governor’s office was slow to produce and unresponsive despite repeated requests.

Caplan also took home third place in Beat Reporting for his reporting on an executive cabinet meeting held by Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Shane Andrew. Records obtained show the district leader brought a Bible into the meeting, referenced scripture and likened himself to a Biblical character when discussing staff betraying him.

The superintendent publicly denied the incident ever occurred during a School Board meeting, though several interviews with employees in the room, as well as documents obtained by The Sun, told another story. Despite months of denial, the school district's attorney later sent an email to the newspaper admitting the superintendent brought the Bible into the meeting.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville Sun staff honored with four awards at annual FSNE conference in Orlando