2026 Esserman-Knight Journalism Award Winners

Honorable Mentions

“Four years later, has Miami Gardens’ $5M F1 deal delivered for residents?” The Miami Times

Four years after Miami Gardens approved a $5 million Formula One Community Benefits Package to offset resident concerns, public records show only about $1.07 million had been spent as of July 2025. While F1 and city officials promised investments in education, jobs, and local business opportunities, residents say spending priorities favor parties and events instead. City officials refused interviews with The Miami Times reporters who then used records to document the results, to date, of the Community Benefits Package. Interviews with residents gave voice to their demands for stronger oversight, transparency, and tangible program impact, especially as the F1 contract extends to 2041.

Reported by: Amelia Orjuela Da Silva

“Caught in the Crackdown” Miami Herald

The immigration crackdown escalated quickly after President Donald Trump launched in January what he described as the largest mass deportation campaign in U.S. history. In Florida, people began disappearing from their communities. Authorities refused to release the names of those arrested and detained. The state allocated $298 million for immigration enforcement, deputized more state and local agencies to act as ICE agents than any other state, imposed a $5,000 fine on agencies that refused to cooperate, and made it a crime to enter Florida as an undocumented immigrant. Federal and state authorities claimed they were targeting the “worst of the worst.”

Despite stonewalling from government officials, Miami Herald reporters aggressively challenged claims that detainees had criminal records. They compiled cases not publicly released and detailed the impact on families and communities. They exposed inhumane conditions in South Florida detention centers. In December, they published a comprehensive analysis that found more than 20,000 people had been arrested in Florida, including people with clean records. Their reporting documented that people swept up in this crackdown included immigrants with work permits, pending asylum cases. They found spouses and parents of U.S. citizens, workers with no criminal records, and people who are U.S. citizens. The series set the record straight: identifying detainees the government would not name and revealing the human toll of the crackdown—family separations, excessive force, inhumane conditions, and violations of civil and human rights.

Reported by: Claire Healy, Ana Claudia Chacin, Shirsho Dasgupta, Churchill Ndonwie, Ben Wieder, Syra Ortiz Blanes, Ana Ceballos, & Verónica Egui Brito

“How Florida’s Domestic Violence System Failed Victims” South Florida Sun Sentinel

Many victims of domestic violence never leave their relationships or report the abuse. Instead, they endure it in private, keeping the truth from those close to them and authorities. But what happens when those victims pursue justice? Sun Sentinel reporters found a system that failed Mary Gingles even though she followed every rule. She did what victims are encouraged to do: left her husband, hired a lawyer, and called police repeatedly, predicting he would kill her. Despite court orders for him to surrender his guns, the Sheriff’s Office never followed up. Two of Mary’s calls could have led to an arrest, but those cases remained open just days before the murders. The reporters were also the first to reveal prior disciplinary issues involving the deputies tasked with investigating Mary’s calls. On Feb. 16, 2025, Nathan Gingles drove to Mary’s home with a gun and suppressor, killed her father, then hunted her down and killed her and a neighbor in front of her 4-year-old daughter. The reporting also investigated Scott Matalon, a wealthy man accused of attacking four women across three counties. Even when victims attended every hearing, the system let them down. Injuries were dismissed as “rough sex;” private investigators pried into their personal lives. The reporting forced a public conversation on these failures. Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor met with survivors to address his office’s handling of their cases, and Rep. Robin Bartleman filed a bill this session to address the gaps the reporters uncovered.

Reported by: Shira Moolten & Angie DiMichele

Finalists