A list of collaboration stories published:
Jan. 29: Voting by mail in ’26? Make sure your request is valid (Osceola News-Gazette)
Feb 12: Kissimmee commissioners to vote on tougher smoking ban in parks, election changes (Osceola News-Gazette)
Feb. 20: Term limits, background check ordinance passed to go to Kissimmee voters during heated meeting (Osceola News-Gazette)
April 16: Judges: the uncommon candidates in election season (Osceola News-Gazette)
May 7: DeSantis signs new congressional districts into law — they've already been challenged (Osceola News-Gazette)
May 14: Want to vote by mail in ’26? Check your mailbox for a notice (Osceola News-Gazette)
May 14: Election leaders scrambling to inform voters on new congressional map amid lawsuits (Central Florida Public Media)
June 12: What your August 2026 election ballot looks like (Osceola News-Gazette)
The News Collaborative of Central Florida (NCCF), a collective of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida, is announcing the next phase in its evolving service to the region.
NCCF launched publicly in Jan. 2025 to collaborate on reporting for the local impacts of Florida’s Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping law (House Bill 1365). Over 100 stories were shared, including 18 that ran in the Osceola News-Gazette, amplifying reach of this vital reporting to residents.
That success has now been met with a combined $50,000 in funding from Collaborative Journalism Resource Hub (the Hub) and Central Florida Foundation, fueling the Collaborative’s next phase of growth. As part of this evolution, NCCF has onboarded its first dedicated team member, and in 2026, NCCF partners will pool their resources to provide comprehensive coverage of this year’s elections.
“Our first year made it clear that collaborative journalism works, and we’re ready to take on elections coverage – made possible by the support from Collaborative Journalism Resource Hub and Central Florida Foundation,” says Judith Smelser, NCCF’s first task force chair and Central Florida Public Media’s president and general manager. “Ongoing community support is essential to sustaining this unique journalism model and ensuring it can continue delivering impactful reporting year over year.”
NCCF has contracted with Erica Rodriguez Kight as a dedicated project manager to establish governance, coordinate communication across partner organizations and support community engagement efforts that bring residents into the reporting process.
Erica is the assistant director for mass media at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida, where she’s also an associate lecturer in journalism and media production.
As in 2025, the Osceola News-Gazette will contribute its local expertise to provide resources and information to empower residents to be more engaged, especially in the 2026 mid-term election.
“It’s already been a news priority here in 2026 to stress how important of an election it is this year despite it not being part of the Presidential election cycle,” News-Gazette Editor Ken Jackson said. “We’re excited to share in a regional effort to get more information to readers about candidates so that it encourages them to head out to the polls this August and November, during a time when election officials agree turnout figures are lackluster.”
The News Collaborative of Central Florida is a collective of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. It grew out of the Central Florida Journalism Ecosystem Summit, created in 2024 by Central Florida Public Media, Central Florida Foundation and Oviedo Community News. Confirmed participants in NCCF’s 2026 collaborative election coverage include Central Florida Public Media, Ocala Gazette, Orlando Sentinel, Osceola News Gazette, Oviedo Community News, VoxPopuli, Winter Park Voice and WKMG News 6.
