Jackie Barron

Reporter Jackie Barron keeps viewers up-to-date on what's happening down south in Sarasota and Manatee counties. She has been with WFLA-TV for 7 years and has been covering the Sarasota-Manatee area for over a dozen years.

A third generation Tampa native, Jackie's family roots can be traced back to when her great-grandmother rolled cigars in Ybor City. It is this history that gives Jackie the edge when reporting for her hometown station.

A graduate of the University of Florida, Jackie began her career reporting news and weather for the college station. She then went on to anchor and report for WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Md. She came home to Florida, where she continued reporting and anchoring at Sarasota's WWSB. Her move to WFLA lets her work for the hometown station – and continue covering her adopted home.

In 2004, Jackie received the Green Eyeshade Award for her report, "Medicaid Mess". In 2001, it was the Award for Outstanding Excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists for Spot News "Carlton Fire", and recognition of which she continues to be very proud: the Jack R. Howard Award for Best Investigative Reporting by SCRIPPS Howard for her piece, "The Gang Trap".

Jackie's sense of community is evident in her involvements; current member of Manateens Board of Directors, and recent member of the Domestic Violence Task Force for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, which created the "Violence Link" video used to educate law enforcement agencies on the link between animal abuse and domestic violence.

Always a Gator, Jackie is a member of the Alumni Advisory Council for the College of Telecommunications at the University of Florida's School of Journalism.

In addition to their daughter, Scout the dog keeps Jackie and her husband company in their Sarasota home.