Daily Record staff members won eight awards for writing and design in the annual Florida Press Club contest.
The newspaper received one first-place honor, four second-place awards and three third-place awards in the under 40,000 daily circulation division.
“As they do each and every day, our dedicated staff works hard to accurately report, educate and inform our readers,” said Daily Record Publisher Jim Bailey.
The first-place award went to reporter David Chapman in the government news writing category for stories on how Mayor Lenny Curry sold his pension plan in Tallahassee; former Mayor Alvin Brown and John Keane of the Police and Fire Pension Fund reaching a pension deal; and the controversy over the opening of The Roost in Riverside.
Second-place honors went to:
• Graphic designer Codi Gildberg in feature design for Bar Bulletin pages featuring attorney Fraz Ahmed’s column about setting priorities around his year-old daughter and a weekly bulletin board page.
• Managing Editor Karen Brune Mathis in business news writing for a profile of restaurateur and entrepreneur Jacques Klempf; the story behind Ikea’s long-awaited decision to open a store in Jacksonville; and how developers used helicopters to help sell their dream of the St. Johns Town Center.
• Editor Marilyn Young for general news writing for a profile of Downtown Investment Authority CEO Aundra Wallace; the emotional side of Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams leading a city through crime problems; and a story on how Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director Tom Hackney became the voice for missing toddler Lonzie Barton.
Young also won second in serious feature writing for an obituary on former Florida Supreme Court Justice Leander Shaw; how years of unfulfilled plans led up to the foreclosure on the historic Barnett Bank building; and the Hackney story.
Third-place awards went to:
• Gildberg for front page design featuring stories on the gender gap in the construction industry, a First Coast Success story on Giselle Carson; and Downtown parking meters.
• Chapman in business news writing for an inside look at the dilapidated Barnett Bank building and Laura Street Trio; the closing of Edgewood Bakery: and a profile on Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimps owner Ken Babby.
Chapman also finished third in serious feature reporting for a story on Partridge Well Co. employees who helped when a Sheriff’s Office detective was shot; a profile of Circuit Judge John Guy; and a profile of Alimacani Elementary School teacher Kay Park, a finalist for state teacher of the year.
“Everyone on the Daily Record team is a winner for the selfless contributions they make to our success. We are extremely proud of each and every one of them,” Bailey said.
The awards were given out Saturday during a ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton in St. Augustine.