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!

DeSantis says Florida needs to borrow federal money for unemployment budget

As unemployed Floridians revise their budgets to live without the extra money from the federal government, the governor gave us a peek into how the state will pay for the president’s new proposed boost in unemployment benefits. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state’s best option is likely to ask the federal government for a […]

Can Florida afford to pay part of Trump’s proposed federal unemployment benefits?

President Donald Trump has taken executive action aimed at helping those who are struggling. He announced $400 in weekly federal unemployment payments to Americans who are out of work. That’s $200 less than people were previously receiving, and states will be responsible for paying part of that. Nothing is set in stone, but one expert […]

Federal unemployment benefits set to expire, leaving recipients to face the unknown

Losing federal unemployment benefits will make it hard for people in Southwest Florida to make ends meet. The $600 weekly benefit, a CARES Act addition to state benefits, will end July 25 in Florida unless Congress passes legislation to extend it. Anne Lindberg of Port Charlotte is out of work, but she’s paying her bills thanks […]

June unemployment rate shows improvement, but future is up in the air

Florida’s unemployment rate for June dropped to 10.4%. But those gains might be short lived, as parts of the state closed yet again. We spoke to a man in Southwest Florida who is riding this unemployment rollercoaster. Musician Scott McDonald is out of work — again. He initially stopped performing at the Cielo, a restaurant […]

Unemployment call taker warns of longer wait times after state ends contracts

The Department of Economic Opportunity has canceled contracts with two companies that were hired to pick up calls about unemployment claims of Floridians. A woman who still works for one of those companies told us she thinks wait times are going to get worse. DEO spokesperson Paige Landrum told us those companies are AECOM and […]

COVID-19 rises in Florida, other states, but responses are different

Florida, Texas and California are all reporting the highest death tolls among states in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic began. As cases grow, more governors are imposing restrictions. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has not decided to do the exact same thing. We continued to look at what the state is doing to respond to […]

DEO says 100% eligible unemployment claimants paid; other applicants fall through cracks

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s claims dashboard says it has paid 100 percent of eligible claimants, yet dozens of people have told WINK News that they’re missing weeks of payments. Some have said they’ve gone months and still don’t know whether they’ve been approved. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said the DEO has been […]

Unemployment claimants get wrong message for PEUC benefits, DEO working to remove it

An apparent glitch in the system and inconsistent information is causing confusion over unemployment. We looked at what to do Thursday if your benefits have exhausted or they’re about to. Soon, claimants should get a link on CONNECT for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), the federal program that extends your benefits for 13 more weeks. […]