Professional Experience

2018 to present: Reporter, WINK News. Previously worked as an anchor and reporter for WUFT in Gainesville, F.L, 2017; WSVN in Miami as an Investigative Unit intern, 2017; Today Show intern in NYC.

Awards & Recognition

I earned two Associated Press Awards while covering Hurricane Irma and a confederate rally. I was ranked Top Speaker in the State of Florida for Varsity Public Forum Debate. I’ve covered big stories in my home state of Florida from the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando to the Richard Spencer rally in Gainesville.

News Philosophy

Be the voice people can rely on in a community to relay accurate, important, and inspiring information. Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.

Hobbies, Interests & Community Involvement

I worked as a tennis instructor back in Miami, so in my free time, I like to play tennis. I also love to travel with my friends and family! Cheering on the Gators is a big family tradition. I didn't miss a single home football game while I was in college.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications from the University of Florida

Likes best about Southwest Florida

All of the beautiful islands.

Hometown

Miami Beach, Florida.

Why are there no mask mandates in Lee County or Fort Myers?

There were heated discussions Thursday in Cape Coral where city leaders are thinking about implementing a mask mandate. In Lee County and Fort Myers, however, it has been silent, with no announced plans to curb the spread of COVID-19. Out of the 14 people who run Lee County and the City of Fort Myers, only […]

SWFL guitarist dies of COVID-19, remembered for devotion to music

Community members are mourning the loss of a well-known musician in Southwest Florida. Loved ones say guitarist AJ Mullins died from the coronavirus recently. He was a member of local group The Collaboration Band. We spoke to Mullins’ fellow band member Tuesday who said it happened very quickly. And we spoke to the guitarist’s roomate, […]

Lee Health

Lee Health talks coronavirus patients and case numbers

Lately, coronavirus cases in Florida have been hitting record highs. And that has left those in the health care industry with questions about what they need to do to better accommodate recent spikes. But the Governor said, while masks are useful, it would be difficult to enforce. “We did an advisory at the beginning of […]

What Florida COVID-19 numbers mean

We asked experts Thursday about what the current daily coronavirus numbers mean for the big picture moving forward. Thursday’s daily rate of percent positive for COVID-19 in Southwest Florida was 9.23%, which is below the 10% state threshold that allows for safe reopening. What does that mean? Is it as simple as saying 9 out […]

Zachary Tyler Martin-Polsenberg

Gov signs bill named for Riverdale football player who died of heatstroke

The Zachary Martin Act was signed into law Tuesday and named for the former Riverdale football player of the same name. It will protect high school athletes during Florida’s hottest months. Zach was 16 when he collapsed of heatstroke at football practice in 2017. He died 11 days later. Every day, Laurie Giordano thinks about […]

DeSantis, state warns restaurants, bars to follow guidelines or lose liquor license

The governor is telling restaurants and bars to follow the proper guidelines, or be prepared to lose your liquor license. And the governor’s comments have left some local businesses with more questions than answers. Gov. Ron DeSantis said, if these establishments are packed and people aren’t following social distancing, they will lose out on their […]

Florida joins other states with over 100,000 reported COVID-19 cases

In the last week alone, Florida broke records four times for the number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus. Southwest Florida accounts for nearly 9% of all the positive cases in the state and more than 10% of all the deaths. Florida joined California, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Illinois and Massachusetts with […]

Masks required in parts of state; SWFL leaders unsure how it would work

For the third straight day, Florida broke its record in number of reported coronavirus cases with 3,822. That number is rising at a much faster rate. Over the past three days, more than 10% of the tests are coming back positive. Ten percent is threshold the CDC says is safe to continue to reopen. In […]

Lee County school reopening task force discusses safety measures

School districts in Southwest Florida are trying to figure out how to bring every student and teacher back to the classroom after the governor said it would happen by fall. Educators are worried more kids are falling behind while learning from home. “Open up the schools. Let’s get the best educational environment. Let’s keep everybody […]