Miami Herald among Collier Award winners for investigation into DeSantis’ migrant flights
The Miami Herald’s coverage of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ involvement in arranging to send two planes with 49 South American migrants to Martha’s Vineyard from Texas placed second in the 2023 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability.
The Los Angeles Times earned the $25,000 award for a series about failures by the State Bar of California to regulate and enforce the integrity of lawyers.
The prize, offered by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, will be presented at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday.
The Miami Herald’s reporting — by Sarah Blaskey, Ana Ceballos, Mary Ellen Klas, Carl Juste and Nicholas Nehamas — uncovered details of DeSantis’ order to send asylum seekers to Martha’s Vineyard. One of the award’s judges commended the investigation, saying “though the story became national news, the Herald told rich stories showcasing the human toll and connecting the dots to Florida’s governor.”
The Collier Prize was founded by Nathan S. Collier, chair of The Collier Companies in Gainesville, to encourage coverage of state government. Collier is a descendant of Peter Fenelon Collier, who founded investigative journalism magazine Collier’s in 1888.
Last year, a series on a Florida government program that failed to aid families of children who suffered catastrophic brain injuries at birth earned the Miami Herald and ProPublica the Collier Prize.
Read the Miami Herald’s 2023 winning stories
READ MORE: Perla was his boss. He was her ace. Inside the covert op behind DeSantis’ migrant flights
READ MORE: Texas sheriff will investigate Florida flying Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard
READ MORE: ‘You have my full support’: Top DeSantis aides played key role in migrant flights
