Andrew Pantazi

For eight years, I reported for my hometown newspaper before helping found Jacksonville’s first digital-only nonprofit news site, The Tributary.

I specialize in using data to tell stories about why things go wrong.

I have exposed corrupt and incompetent public officials. I’ve taken the time to tell detailed narratives. And I’ve handled the newspaper’s lead write-through duties when major breaking news, like a hurricane, hit.

I revealed how a public defender used state salaries to pay political allies and friends, all while his attorneys had the lowest pay in the state.

I exposed jail rapes by compiling county records from across the state, highlighting how bad policies — pairing accused predators with the mentally ill and stripping them naked — put inmates in harm's way.

I developed a database on racial disparities in drug prosecutions by examining two years of drug convictions, opening every arrest report, sentencing score sheet, plea deal and judgment. I tracked more than 30 variables, allowing us to hold our findings up to rigorous standards. I used that database, plus interviews with more than 30 people, to profile the prosecutor responsible for the sharpest disparities.

At The Tributary, I’ve helped expose racial gerrymandering and neighborhood segregation with interactive maps plotting every person based on the 2020 Census.

We’re building a new model for local news, one powered by citizens and empowering journalists. Join us at JaxTrib.org.

Personal

I’m the father of two rambunctious boys, Calvin and Ari Sojourner. I am also a union organizer with the NewsGuild and previously was the elected co-chair of the Florida Times-Union Guild.

Contact

email: andrew.pantazi [at] gmail [dot] com

Twitter: @APantazi