Mainstreet Daily News staff writer wins four awards from Florida Press Association

Mainstreet Daily News Staff Writer and Photographer Suzette Cook.
Mainstreet Daily News Staff Writer and Photographer Suzette Cook.

Mainstreet Daily News Staff Writer Suzette Cook garnered four awards from the Florida Press Association for reporting and photography.

The awards for weekly newspapers were announced during a virtual ceremony at noon on July 31st. Cook worked at the Chiefland Citizen and Cedar Key Beacon from 2018-2019 before joining Mainstreet Daily News. Those publications qualified to submit top efforts in Division C, which is publications with a circulation of less than 4,000.

“It’s always great to get recognized for your work and to see what your peers are doing,” Cook said after watching the award ceremony online. 

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pelican

She received second place for “Feature Photo” with an action photo of a curious pelican in flight that was approaching the docks in Cedar Key.

 Cook also earned first place in Outdoor and Recreation reporting for a story about a Sharks and Rays course taught at the University of Florida’s Marine Lab on Seahorse Key off Cedar Key. The course was a collaborative effort between UF and Florida State University.

sharks

 In the Agriculture and Environmental Reporting category, Cook took third place for the story “Thousands of insects flock to tree in Chiefland.” That tree turned out to be invasive and posed a danger to the local ecosystem and nearby livestock.

environ

 And in the Business Reporting category, Cook took third place for a story following an illegal internet café bust by the Chiefland Police Department. The sting shut down five gambling locations. Months later, Cook revisited those locations to report on the legal businesses that started in place of the illegal cafes.

business

 Cook is a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications and has 30 years of journalism experience. She has taught middle, high school and college level courses in digital journalism, graphics, newspaper and yearbook coast to coast from Ukiah, California to Newberry High and P.K Yonge, the University of Florida and Santa Fe College.

To review a complete list of the statewide winners, go here.

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