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Emily L. Mahoney - Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Emily L. Mahoney

Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

I cover Florida’s capital and the politics surrounding it, which means there’s never a slow day. From the Legislative session to state elections, life is fast-paced in the nation’s largest swing state – and I prefer it that way. I hail from Arizona, a state that raised me to love tacos al pastor and the sound of hiking boots hitting the dirt. Now, I’m based in Tallahassee, where the Tampa Bay Times shares a bureau with the Miami Herald, and I’m proud to work for two of the state’s strongest newspapers. When it comes to policy, I focus on education and criminal justice – two areas where government unequivocally shapes peoples’ lives. Want to discuss a story idea? Drop me a line.

  1. Ron DeSantis may be quiet, but his fingerprints are all over Florida’s legislative session
    Feb. 19• The Buzz
    Florida Senator Wilton Simpson, R- Trilby, left, greets Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, right, during a joint session of the Florida Legislature, Tuesday, January 14, 2020.
  2. Stunned, speechless, shocked: Florida lawmakers react to misuse of funds
    Feb. 13• The Buzz
    The Florida Capitol. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]
  3. ‘School choice’ is dividing Florida Democrats along racial lines. Could it help Donald Trump?
    Feb. 13• The Buzz
    Janiyah, left, and Stephanie Davis of Philadelphia, stand as they are recognized by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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  5. After ‘tragedies’ at All Children’s, St. Mary’s, Florida lawmakers back safety measure
    Feb. 13• The Buzz
    Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, San Petersburg.
  6. Massive bill to change scholarships, merge colleges advances in Florida Legislature over bipartisan objections
    Feb. 12• The Buzz
    Graduates from the Eckerd College Collegium of Natural Sciences make their way to the forty-second annual commencement on the Eckerd's campus in St. Petersburg Sunday, May 22, 2005. (Times photo by James Borchuck)
  7. Why is Florida suddenly bullish on teacher pay? Big business is on board.
    Feb. 8• Education
    Thousands of Florida teachers and their supporters rallied in Tallahassee last month, a show of momentum for raising teacher pay in the state. In contrast to previous years, Florida business leaders have been more vocal in joining the call for teacher raises.
  8. Bank that halted Florida voucher donations over anti-LGBTQ policies reverses course
    Feb. 7• The Buzz
    MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times Pride preparations are well underway in St. Petersburg, with rainbow flags flying in front of local businesses or in shop windows, as well as art installations and other decorations. June 19, 2018.
  9. Florida lawmakers try again to make university president searches secret
    Feb. 7• The Buzz
    A student walks on the St. Petersburg campus of the University of South Florida, which recently chose a new president.
  10. Can this lawmaker broker the peace in Florida’s anti-LGBTQ school voucher fight?
    Feb. 6• The Buzz
    Rep. Shevrin Jones, -D, West Park, shakes hands with Rep. Kamia Brown, D-Ocoee, last year.
  11. Gradebook podcast: Controversies in the Capitol - Vouchers, teacher pay, Common Core and more
    Feb. 6• Gradebook
    Hot topics such as teacher pay, LGBTQ student rights and the Common Core continue to dominate Florida's education debate.
  12. Should all Florida high schoolers have to take the SAT or ACT? Lawmakers say yes.
    Feb. 4• The Buzz
    [Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS]
  13. Rubio intensifies fight over anti-LGBTQ policies in Florida private schools
    Feb. 4• Gradebook
    Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
  14. Amid backlash over anti-LGBTQ schools, Florida lawmakers push even less voucher oversight
    Jan. 30• The Buzz
    Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R- Mount Dora.
  15. Top Florida lawmakers say they won’t change death penalty law, but ‘chaos’ remains
    Jan. 30• The Buzz
    Archive photo of death row at Florida State Prison and Union Correctional Institution. [Associated Press]
  16. Florida lawmakers reject new teacher bonuses, despite DeSantis request
    Jan. 29• The Buzz
    Thousands rallied and marched from the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center to the Florida Historic Capitol to demand more money for public schools Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. Thousands of school workers from around the state thronged Florida's Capitol on Monday to press Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature to more than double the nearly $1 billion the governor is proposing for teacher raises and bonuses. (Tori Lynn Schneider/Tallahassee Democrat via AP)
  17. Major banks to pull contributions for Florida school vouchers because of anti-LGBTQ discrimination
    Jan. 29• The Buzz
    MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times
  18. Florida lawmakers throw support behind major pre-K reform bill
    Jan. 27• The Buzz
    Victoria Arriaga, left, does a letter-matching activity during Priscilla Perez's pre-kindergarten class at West Tampa Elementary School. [MONICA HERNDON | Times]
  19. DeSantis announces new Florida school standards without Common Core
    Jan. 24• The Buzz
    Gov. Ron DeSantis.
  20. Florida Supreme Court says unanimous jury not needed for death penalty in major reversal
    Jan. 23• The Buzz
    The Florida Supreme Court, Wednesday, May 1, 2019.
  21. Florida lawmakers revisit post-Parkland school safety, student mental health
    Jan. 21• The Buzz
    In this Feb. 14, 2018, file photo, students hold their hands in the air as they are evacuated by police from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., after a shooter opened fire on the campus. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, File)
  22. Another father of slain Parkland student named to Florida’s Board of Education
    Jan. 21• The Buzz
    Left to Right: Ryan Petty and Andrew Pollack talk about the death of their daughters during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland before a meeting in the Capitol in Tallahassee. [SCOTT KEELER | Tampa Bay Times]
  23. Sentencing reform gets early bipartisan boost in Florida Senate
    Jan. 16• The Buzz
    Florida Senator Rob Bradley, R- Fleming Island, watches the action on the first day of the session, 1/14/2020.
  24. Ron DeSantis touts environment, teacher pay as conflict looms in 2020 session
    Jan. 14• The Buzz
    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves to members of the Florida Legislature during a joint session of lawmakers, Tuesday, January 14, 2020 in Tallahassee.