Professional Experience

September 2018 to present: Investigative Reporter at WINK News

Previously worked as a multimedia journalist at WCJB TV20 News, WUFT-TV and WUFT-FM in Gainesville, FL; and as an investigative intern at WPLG Local 10 News in Miami, FL

Member of National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)

Awards & Recognition

2019 Excellence in Broadcast News Award for Transportation / Traffic Series reporting, Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists (FABJ) – “Waiting in the Dark”

2019 NATAS Suncoast Regional Emmy Nomination for Education / Schools News reporting– “Waiting in the Dark”

2019 Young Journalist Award for Broadcast, Press Club of Southwest Florida

2019 Sunshine State Award for Multimedia Feature, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) – “You Are Now Live” (2nd Place)

2019 Excellence in Innovation in TV, Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, RTDNA – “Locked Out Florida”

2018 Awards for Photo Essay & Short Hard News Feature, Florida Associated Press Broadcasters (now FABJ) College Contest

News Philosophy

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” — Ida B. Wells

Hobbies, Interests & Community Involvement

Sara is a big fan of live theater and performing arts, traveling to faraway places, volunteering, playing roller derby, Gator football, spoiling her nieces and nephews, and cuddling up next to her dog Mickey.

Education

Master’s in Mass Communication and Bachelor’s in Telecommunication News from the University of Florida

Go Gators!

Directive for day cares in Southwest Florida, statewide remains up in the air

It’s a big question among parents: Will day cares be the next to shut down because of coronavirus in Southwest Florida? Is it safe to send them there? “For me, day cares should have been probably the first thing to shut down,” Naples mom Lindsey Taylor said. Taylor says she is already keeping her 13-month-old […]

Driver leads officers on chase in Lee County

A driver nearly ran down two Fort Myers police officers before leading them on a chase Tuesday afternoon. It started at the Howard Johnson Hotel off Cleveland Avenue, where the officers were checking out a suspicious vehicle. The Fort Myers Police Department said the driver, Joshua Sanders, backed the vehicle up, almost hitting the two […]

Restaurants, entertainers helping others despite loss of business

Right now, businesses are making the decision whether or not to stay open. But no work means no money and that’s weighing heavily on the minds of owners all across Southwest Florida. With coronavirus keeping crowds at home, times are getting tougher as more people in the entertainment industry are losing gigs and restaurants struggle […]

Hertz Arena, Florida Everblades makes tough layoffs amid pandemic

As companies close their doors and lose money, people are also losing their jobs. President Donald Trump is expected to sign a stimulus bill. So we looked at whether it will it be enough to help people get through. We spoke with people who are trying to figure out how to make ends meet during […]

Lee Memorial Hospital sets up tents for potential COVID-19 patients

Tents are going up outside Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers Tuesday afternoon. Lee Health is setting up two air-conditioned tents with filtration and a generator. The first is a larger tent is where emergency personnel will screen every potential patient at the hospital – not including those who arrive by helicopter or EMS If […]

Fort Myers council member on cruise, says coronavirus being taken seriously

Cruises are shutting down service because of concerns over the coronavirus, but while those decisions were being made, some ships were already out at sea. Fort Myers council member Kevin Anderson, who is on a cruise, said guests and crew members have been taking the threat of the virus seriously. “They are now cleaning and […]

20 Lee Health staff members quarantined, 9 showing “cold-like symptoms”

World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic Wednesday, as the number of cases worldwide topped 120,000. Twenty employees at Lee Health are quarantined after coming in contact with two patients who tested positive for COVID-19. We learned nine of those employees are showing “cold-like symptoms” and all of them will be tested for […]

Fort Myers attorney denies lawsuit claims of ex-employees’ rape, other sex crimes

Accusations of rape and asking to trade sex for payment: That’s what’s at the center of a federal lawsuit filed against a Fort Myers attorney. Attorney Guichard St. Surin responded Monday after four women who used to work for him say he abused his position of power to sexually harass them. One of St. Surin’s […]

How are kids who make school threats getting the help they need?

Most school threats are not credible, but every one of them is disruptive. This week, the Florida Department of Education published its discipline data for the 2018-2019 school year. In Lee County, most school threats fall under the “disruption on campus” category, the school district reported 346 disruptions that year. Every one of them was […]