Government Watchdog Reporter

TCPalm.com/Treasure Coast Newspapers, part of the USA Today Network, is seeking a watchdog reporter to cover local government in its three-county area on Florida’s east coast.

The successful candidate will go beyond mundane city council meetings and writing about process. He/she/they do journalism that matters, focusing on enterprise and investigative coverage, doggedly digging into issues and not settling for simplistic answers from bureaucrats. This reporter will put government spending (and those who do the spending) under a microscope — assuring readers their taxes are being spent wisely — and tell those stories in engaging and innovative ways and on a variety of digital platforms and in and print. He/she/they will identify issues and trends relevant throughout the state, such as growth and development and transportation, and bring an intensely local focus to the reporting. This reporter will be skilled at identifying news that matters to readers, particularly new businesses, new restaurants and new residential communities. Port St. Lucie, the seventh-largest city in Florida, is experiencing a building and population boom, and is a hotbed of much of that news.

The successful candidate also will have the opportunity to report and write on these issues from a broader perspective for use across the USA Today Network-Florida, stretching from the east and west coasts to Tallahassee and the Panhandle.

This multimedia journalist should have a track record of finding great stories and be experienced in using social media both in reporting and in promoting them. He/she/they should be adept at source development; have experience obtaining and using public records; be skilled at creating and manipulating databases and other digital-focused tools; bring a rock-solid knowledge of AP style; and demonstrate a proven ability to meet daily and weekend deadlines.

This job is based in Fort Pierce, Florida, with coverage focused on St. Lucie County but also throughout the Treasure Coast.

Requirements include a bachelor’s degree in journalism or equivalent education. Previous municipal reporting and at least three years of experience at a daily newspaper or equivalent media are preferred. Spanish fluency is a plus.