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Justin Garcia - State and Local Accountability Reporter
Justin Garcia

State and Local Accountability Reporter

I thrive on exposing what’s hidden from the public. As an accountability reporter, I work to uncover issues that affect the community surrounding Tampa Bay and all of Florida. My focus is on law enforcement and the judicial system, but I’ll keep an eye on several government agencies. Before joining the Times in 2023, I freelanced for outlets like The Nation and Investigative Reporters & Editors Journal. I was also a staff writer for Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Feel free to reach out to me if there’s a matter that you think I should look into.

  1. Video shows Tampa officer taunting, cursing at residents
    Sept. 21• Tampa
    Footage from a body-worn camera shows a Tampa officer taunting and cursing at residents.
  2. Florida prisons use artificial intelligence to surveil calls
    Sept. 19• Florida
    The entrance to Florida State Prison in Starke is shown Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. All Florida prisons are now subject to artificial surveillance of phone calls.
  3. 717 Parking takes Tampa to court over Ybor land-use fight
    Sept. 14• Tampa
    As the dispute drags on, Ybor residents argue there is more than just bookkeeping issue and zoning conflict at stake: The well-being of their neighborhood is, too.
  5. Feds investigating state-funded contractor tied to Florida deputy death
    Sept. 8• Pinellas
    Tony Karlhofer, of Largo, places flowers near a makeshift memorial for Deputy Michael Hartwick, at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office headquarters on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Largo.
  6. Hurricane Idalia caused widespread pollution in Florida’s waterways
    Sept. 8• Environment
    In Horseshoe Beach, near where Idalia made landfall, aerial drone imagery from a Tampa Bay Times reporter shows a displaced vehicle spewing gasoline into a neighborhood canal.
  7. Some of Tampa’s homeless people weathered Hurricane Idalia from bus shelters
    Aug. 30• Tampa
    A group of homeless people said that they spent the night under a bus shelter as Tampa felt the effects of Hurricane Idalia.
  8. Florida updates list of gas stations affected by Citgo fuel contamination
    Aug. 29• Florida
    A car fills up at a Citgo station in this photo from 2017.
  9. Citgo says customers affected by Florida fuel contamination should file claims
    Aug. 28• Florida
    Florida officials are warning drivers of “potentially widespread fuel contamination” impacting gas stations across the state's west coast as residents brace for Tropical Storm Idalia’s expected landfall later this week.
  10. Miami developer won a prime Tampa land deal. Now they want more money.
    Aug. 21• Tampa
    Rome Yard in Tampa pictured on Friday, April 16, 2021, at left, and Monday, at right,.
  11. Judge in Pinellas says medical marijuana shouldn’t be banned for defendants
    Aug. 18• Pinellas
    Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Bill Burgess wrote in an Aug. 10 memorandum that a court cannot impose a special condition of probation that “effectively prohibits the defendant from participating in a state medical marijuana program.”
  12. Feds deny return of Tim Burke’s devices amid Fox News leak probe
    Aug. 10• Tampa
    Media consultant Tim Burke, 44, stands in his digital media studio at the Seminole Heights home he shares with his wife, Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak, on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Tampa, where agents with the FBI conducted a search and seizure of personal electronics and notebooks in early May.
  13. Deadly Tampa police raid results in settlement, SWAT policy changes
    July 26• Tampa
    Patti Silliman of Wimauma, holds a photo of her son Jason Westcott outside the Tampa Police headquarters on Wednesday. The Tampa Police Department this month reached a court settlement with Silliman for the wrongful death of Westcott in a 2014 SWAT raid.
  14. Tim Burke and lawyers deny hacking Fox News, demand return of devices
    July 21• Tampa
    Media consultant Tim Burke stands in his digital media studio at the Seminole Heights home that he shares with his wife, Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak on Tuesday. FBI agents conducted a search and seizure of personal electronics and notebooks at their home in early May.
  15. Bay Pines cemetery director reassigned while harassment reports investigated
    July 13• Military
    Doug Maddox, director of Bay Pines National Cemetery, makes a speech during a Memorial Day event. He was allowed to take part even though he is under investigation after employees complained he created a toxic work environment.
  16. Hillsborough, Clearwater police monitoring private security cameras
    July 10• Hillsborough
    Police in Clearwater and Hillsborough County are able to access private security cameras through a partnership with Georgia technology company Fusus.
  17. Jane Castor’s driver had role in exposing Tampa politico’s hidden past
    June 27• Tampa
    Mike Victor, the man who drives Tampa mayors, including Jane Castor. City of Tampa (2019)
  18. Tampa cop resigns amid investigation of political player with sex offender past
    June 5• Tampa
    The Tampa Police Department's downtown headquarter is seen in 2022. A Tampa police officer resigned last month after an internal investigation found that he knew as early as 2021 that a local political player known as Giovanni “Gio” Fucarino was a convicted sex offender named John Ring Jr., but didn’t tell anyone what he knew and was untruthful when investigators asked him about it later, records show.
  19. Two juveniles dead after Tampa crash
    May 29• Breaking News
    Tampa Police are investigating the deaths of two minors in an overnight car crash.
  20. 2-year-old shot by father in St. Petersburg, police say
    May 29• St. Petersburg
    Police are investigating the death of a 2-year-old in St. Petersburg.
  21. Tucker Carlson, Fox News hacks tied to FBI search of Tampa council member’s home
    May 26• Tampa
    Lynn Hurtak, left, and her husband, Tim Burke, right, attend the Oath of Office Ceremony at Armature Works for Mayor Jane Castor and City Council members May 1 in Tampa.
  22. East Tampa youth career program must be more than trash pickup, officials say
    May 22• News
    An obelisk celebrating East Tampa is seen in a roundabout along N. 22nd Street at E. 22nd Avenue is seen Monday, May 22, 2023, in Tampa.
  23. State drops attempted murder charge against Tampa Bay rapper T9ine
    May 10• Crime
    Antonio Nelson, who performs as T9ine, is seen in the courtroom alongside his mother, Pavielle Moore.
  24. In Tampa: FBI search, alleged ‘public corruption,’ cyber breach, evictions
    May 9• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Law enforcement officers gather outside Tampa Council member Lynn Hurtak's home Monday afternoon.