
Larry McKinnon III
Former Director of Public Affairs
I’ve always enjoyed listening to people and being allowed to tell their stories. That’s why more than 20 years ago, I began my career in broadcast journalism. Looking back, I’ve held many roles in a newsroom, including working on the assignment desk, as a producer, as a photojournalist, a reporter, and anchor. My journey has taken me to cities around the country, including New York, Boston, Tampa, West Palm Beach, and Seattle, to name a few.
It has been quite the journey but it is far from over. I still look forward to telling peoples’ stories and covering events through a different lens. I’m looking forward to taking on new challenges with greater responsibilities to magnify someone’s voice.
With more than 20 years of covering breaking news involving sheriff and police departments, from Tyler, Texas to Tampa, Florida,
gathering the facts of an incident, putting them together in a way which people will understand, and then relaying that information has become almost second nature.
Many public information officers over the years have given me credit for my work and the reason is simple. I always understood that my job is not paramount when it comes to working any type of investigation. The investigation takes priority while details released to the press come when the time has been decided upon and the information is ready to be released.
Sheriff Chad Chronister of the Hillsborough County Florida Sheriff’s Department once told me that he believed I would love working with an agency and helping them tell their story and “be great at it.” That meant a lot to me coming from the sheriff of the 6th largest sheriff’s organization within the country.
From hanging chads to the historic election of President Barack Obama and now to election 2020, it certainly has been a wild ride and then politics, as we know, we never know what will happen next. And from presidential elections two Florida gubernatorial elections to elections at the local level, I’ve always had the numbers to call to make sure I knew all the in’s and out’s.
One of my proudest moments while covering politics is the creation of a completely new half-hour political show that I codeveloped and coproduced and anchored in Florida‘s largest political market, Tampa, at the NBC affiliate.
My ability to effectively communicate with the public and with political staffers as well as lawmakers, my efficient and comprehensive writing skills, and my knowledge of the political system allows me to have a unique perspective when it comes to working for a lawmaker’s team.
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