South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers were awarded eight prizes in the statewide Florida Society of News Editors contest for reporting, photography, video and podcast work.
The Sun Sentinel was among winners in the contest’s largest division, which includes the Orlando Sentinel, the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.
Winning first place in the podcast category is managing editor David Schutz, photo editor Sean Pitts and news and audience editor Robin Webb for their true-crime podcast “Felonious Florida: The Altidor Massacre.” The podcast revisited a 1997 unsolved quadruple murder in Miramar that left a mother, a grandmother, and two young girls beaten and shot to death.
Winning first place in the feature photography category is Amy Beth Bennett for her photos in the story, “Critics worry Swimming Hall of Fame tower will steal limelight from dive tower.”
A man walks past open architecture in the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building that allows a view of the 27-meter dive tower at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower and the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building are shown at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Master’s swimmers train at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center is shown on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Winning first place in a feature photography category was Amy Beth Bennett, with the South Florida Sun Sentinel, for her photos in the story, “Critics worry Swimming Hall of Fame tower will steal limelight from dive tower.” (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, including a 27-meter dive tower that cost taxpayers $8 million, is shown on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower peeks out above the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower is shown to the left of the site of a new proposed International Hall of Fame tower at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, including a 27-meter dive tower, is shown on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The top of the 27-meter dive tower is shown adjacent to the site of a new proposed International Hall of Fame tower at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The top of the 27-meter dive tower is shown adjacent to the site of a new proposed International Hall of Fame tower at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, including a 27-meter dive tower that cost taxpayers $8 million, is shown on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The top of the 27-meter dive tower is shown adjacent to the site of a new proposed International Hall of Fame tower at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower peeks out above the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower is shown at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center is shown on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, including a 27-meter dive tower that cost taxpayers $8 million, is shown on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower peeks out above the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 27-meter dive tower can be seen just above the roofline of the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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A man walks past open architecture in the current International Swimming Hall of Fame building that allows a view of the 27-meter dive tower at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Business reporter Ron Hurtibise won two awards in the business category, earning second place for his stories about retail operations, such as “From ‘nightmares’ to ‘beautiful’: New supermarket opens after four-year wait” and “Life after the Festival Marketplace: Where longtime vendors went, how they’re doing.”
Hurtibise also won third place for a series of stories about state homeowners insurance, including stories about the high prices, policyholders and Citizens property insurance.
Columnist Pat Beall won second place in the columns category for her work, which includes writing about President Donald Trump, Palm Beach County and international news. Also winning second place in the editorials category was the entire Sun Sentinel editorial team.
Breaking news and criminal justice reporter Shira Moolten won second place in an enterprise stories category for her story, “He beat and terrorized the women he said he loved. Florida’s justice system nearly failed them.”
And in the features video category, Pitts and photographer Mike Stocker won third place for their video: “First-look: Fly-through the new Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale (FPV drone).”