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Florida to Pay Millions to Victims of Abuses at Notorious Reform School
A $20 million program will give financial restitution to students who endured abuse and neglect at the hands of the state.
By Patricia Mazzei
As a national reporter based in Miami, I get to write about a little bit of everything: breaking news, elections, disasters and the quirks of life in the places I cover. Every day is different, and I have the opportunity to talk to elected leaders about their decisions and regular people about how those decisions affect them.
My reporting often focuses on Florida’s changing demographics and politics. The topics I am drawn to range from government policy to political shenanigans, criminal justice to climate change. I like unexpected tales and stories that feel like postcards about a place.
Since joining The Times in 2017, I have reported on the condo collapse in Surfside and the school shooting in Parkland. I was on the Gulf Coast of Florida for Hurricane Ian and in the Panhandle for Hurricane Michael, as well as in Puerto Rico for 15 days of extraordinary protests that ousted the governor.
Before coming to The Times, I worked for a decade at The Miami Herald. As the Herald’s political writer, I covered the 2016 presidential race. I reported internationally on several occasions from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
I graduated from the University of Miami. Born and raised in Venezuela, I am bilingual in Spanish.
I strive for accuracy, fairness and empathy in my work. Like all Times journalists, I am committed to the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. For example, I do not donate to political candidates.
Email: [email protected]
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A $20 million program will give financial restitution to students who endured abuse and neglect at the hands of the state.
By Patricia Mazzei
Gov. Ron DeSantis gave no explanation for zeroing out the $32 million in grants that were approved by state lawmakers.
By Patricia Mazzei
They are veering from cautious optimism to complete pessimism about their long odds this year, with two liberal-leaning state ballot measures having the potential to lift turnout.
By Lisa Lerer and Patricia Mazzei
Between days of excessive heat and days of unrelenting storms, the summer rainy season is starting to feel different — and highly unpredictable.
By Patricia Mazzei
A federal judge ruled that Florida could not “prohibit transgender minors from receiving specific kinds of widely accepted gender-affirming medical care.”
By Patricia Mazzei
An arrest affidavit said the man shot a building employee and then started the worst fire in Miami in 25 years.
By Patricia Mazzei
The authorities arrived to find the man, who had been shot inside the building. Several residents were evacuated, some from their balconies, Miami’s mayor said.
By Patricia Mazzei and Hank Sanders
A federal plan to remove feral cats from a historic site in Puerto Rico’s capital has upset some residents, who are also feeling pushed out as housing costs soar.
By Patricia Mazzei and Erika P. Rodriguez
In the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, rising water has become a constant threat. Many residents cannot afford to elevate their homes or move.
By Patricia Mazzei
Representative Jenniffer González-Colón, the island’s nonvoting member of Congress, defeated Gov. Pedro R. Pierluisi four years after they appeared on the same ticket.
By Patricia Mazzei