About Us
The Sunshine Way
Sunshine State News was born from a desire to cover a side of issues and stories that was absent in the news landscape, to fill the vacuum.At Sunshine State News, we believe this is the right time to focus on the inextricable relationship between politics and business in Florida and how it affects the success of our state.
To that end, we strive to cut through the jargon and speak in a fresh, no-nonsense way to an audience of lawmakers, lobbyists and strategists, to Florida’s job creators and economy protectors, in fact to all Floridians who expect their leaders to make common-sense decisions and set lofty, yet attainable, goals.
Sunshine State News fills a void – and that is our principal reason for being. We are the only news organization in Florida with an editorial board that believes free-market, less-government solutions will prove successful in addressing the problems challenging our state.
Our news stories deal with facts, but we are more than happy to espouse our opinion in columns. We make it our job to tell the side of the stories that other outlets choose to ignore. We cover news statewide, putting the right amount of emphasis on untold stories and up-to-the-minute blogs, the ones that illuminate a rapidly changing economy, the clash of ideas and relationships at the state Capitol and political strategies playing out in all corners of Tallahassee and beyond.
We aim to present our stories in a bright, attractive, reader-friendly package. And, we strive to avoid the stuffy conventions of traditional newspaper storytelling, instead writing compellingly in everyday language, using as much wit, personality and insight as we can muster.
Sunshine State News welcomes reader participation. In fact, we encourage it by calling for comments on each story and blog, by inviting letters to the editor and op-ed articles and by soliciting readers’ photographs and videos in our unique “Snap” section.
Sunshine State News is always evolving, always adding features, looking for ways to make ourselves not just content, but a community for Floridians who care deeply about how and what our leaders are doing to improve our lives.
Join our conversation on Twitter: @SSNAlerts
Meet Our Team
Nancy Smith - Executive Editor
A Connecticut native, Nancy Smith began her journalism career at The Daily Mirror and The Observer newspapers, both in London, England. She served as city editor, managing editor and associate editor at The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News for 28 years, retiring from Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers in 2005. She was president of the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors in 1993-1994. More impressive than her wall of awards, she found a way to be stepmother to seven children and still write one of the most compelling and controversial columns on the Treasure Coast. She brought her long-suffering husband Mick and the children back from England in 1974. "Some people go to London and bring back an ashtray," she says. "I came home with something a whole lot better." Contact Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.
Join Nancy on Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
Eric Giunta, Esq. – Chief Legal Correspondent
Eric Giunta is a member of the Florida Bar. Born in Chicago and raised in South Florida, he graduated from Florida State University College of Law. At FSU he served as president of that school's chapter of the nation's premier fellowship of conservative and libertarian law students. He has written for LewRockwell.com, Human Events, LifeSiteNews, RenewAmerica.com, and FrontPage Magazine, and his editorial commentary has been cited in the pages of The New York Times, The Daily Telegraph (UK), Politics Daily, and The Tampa Bay Times. When not poring over case law or drafting his next article or editorial, you can catch Eric on a campaign trail, walking the halls of the Florida State Capitol, or carousing at the local comedy club or pub -- most likely discussing politics, religion, and anything else apt to offend modern sensibilities. Contact Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or (954) 235-9116.
Denise Struempf - Web Editor
Denise Struempf was born and grew up off the coast of Montara Beach, California. She graduated from Florida State University in 2010 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design and an advertising minor. Working at various restaurants in Tallahassee, she created artwork for everything from flyers to menus at these establishments. She has created advertising pieces for La Rumba Mexican Restaurant, Studio 1 Recording Studio, and Acapulcos Mexican Grill, as well as having work exhibited at the Kasha Research Laboratory on the FSU campus. Most of her time is spent on the computer, hanging out with her dog Zelda and eating candy. Contact Denise Struempf at dstruempf@sunshinestatenews.com.
Chris Moran - Copy Editor
British-born Chris Moran grew up and was educated in England. While privately trained to be a concert pianist from a very early age, her forte and college major was English. Pursuing an editing career seemed a natural. Initially freelancing as a teen, "to help buy my first car," she later joined J.I. Rodale & Co. Ltd., the British subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based Rodale Press, located in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. There she served as international editor of Prevention magazine. An opening at The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News, now part of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, brought her to the United States and to Florida where she became a U.S. citizen and lived and worked as editor on the newspapers' opinion pages for almost 18 years. Along the way, she won a number of headline-writing awards. Chris is a voracious reader, an avid gardener and above all, an animal lover.
