Ocalans earn honors from Florida Press Club

The ‘Gazette’s’ Bruce Ackerman brought home six awards for photography, including a clean sweep in one category.


This image of Chester Weber coming out of the Couture Lifestyle Homes Water Hazard and sticking his tongue out at people in the VIP tent during the Live Oak International marathon event on March 16, 2024, won second place in the Feature Photo Essay category. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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Posted February 4, 2025 | By Susan Smiley-Height, [email protected]

The Florida Press Club hosted its 2023-24 Excellence in Journalism recognition ceremony on Feb. 1 at Hilton Ocala.

Among those honored was the “Gazette’s” Bruce Ackerman, who earned six awards for photography, including:
• Feature Photo Essay Class B-C: Second place, Live Oak International

In Sports Action Class C, this photo of Vanguard’s Matthew Dial (16) fumbling the ball against Miami Central during a preseason football game at Booster Stadium in Ocala on Aug. 18, 2023, won first place. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]


• Sports Action Class C: First place, Vanguard vs. Miami Central football game: second place, Trinity Catholic girls’ volleyball; and third place, Forest vs. North Marion football game.

Taking second place in Sports Action Class C was Trinity Catholic’s Hope Willis (6) battling at the net with Father Lopez’ Cate McNamara (7) and Bella Bosinski (12) during a volleyball match at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala on Oct. 18, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]


In third place in Sports Action Class C was this photo of Forest’s Matt Hart (6) breaking up a pass intended for North Marion’s Derrick Perry (8) during a football game at Forest High School in Ocala on Aug. 25, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]


• General News Class C: Second place, Fatal migrant farm worker bus crash; and third place, Kissing K-9 Leo goodbye

A man is silhouetted on May 17, 2024, by a large Mexican flag as he looked for donations from passing motorists during a candlelight vigil for the eight migrant farm workers killed in the May 14, 2024, bus crash on Highway 40 near Dunnellon. This photo took second place in General News Class C. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.


Earning third place in General News Class C was this shot of Tynlee Tortora, 14 months, the daughter of K-9 Cpl. Justin Tortora, the handler of K-9 Leo, kissing a photo of the canine as she is held by her grandmother, Sangi Blair, during a memorial service on March 4, 2024. Leo was shot in the line of duty on Feb. 17, 2024, and passed away from his injuries on Feb. 20. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]


“The Sports Action category was a clean sweep for me, winning first, second and third places,” Ackerman said with pride.

“This was the 33rd year in a row that I brought home at least one award, most of them first places,” he added.

“I’m so proud the ‘Gazette’ has such an esteemed photojournalist on staff. I believe Bruce is currently the only photojournalist in Marion County working full-time in this capacity, which is alarming in many ways but also emphasizes how special it is that we have him,” said “Ocala Gazette” newspaper and “Ocala Style” magazine publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty.

“Bruce has been capturing our community’s history in his photographs for more than three decades. All that experience, combined with his commitment to record accurate photographic history in the making, is a true blessing to this community, and not just now but for generations to come,” Murty added.

Ocala’s John Sotomayor, the former publisher of “Embrace Magazine,” who also has worked with “Coral Springs Talk,” earned awards during the event as well, including:
• Multimedia Presentation: John Sotomayor, Alexander Sotomayor and Sharon Aron Baron, “Coral Springs Talk”
• Writing, Arts News, Class A-C: first place, John Sotomayor, “Embrace Magazine”
• Headline Writing, Class A-C: second place, John Sotomayor and Rheya Tanner, “Embrace Magazine”
• Travel and Tourism Writing, Class A-C: first place, John Sotomayor and Mark Chesnut, “Embrace Magazine”
• Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting, Class C: third place, John Sotomayor and Sharon Aron Baron, “Coral Springs Talk”

“Embrace Magazine,” which is no longer in existence, also earned these awards:
• Artist Illustration, Class A-C: first place, Josh Clark
• Editorial Cartooning, Class A-C: third place, Bryan Steel and Simon Steel,
• Front Page Design, Class C: first place, Jamie Mark, Rheya Tanner, Wendy Mak and Josh Clark
• Feature Photo Essay, Class B-C: first place, Magnus Hastings
• General News, Class C: first place, “Ghost Edits”
• Portrait/Personality, Class B-C: first place, Magnus Hastings

“I ended ‘Embrace Magazine’ in July 2024. Launched in July 2019, it was an incredible five-year run. I will always look back at our achievements at ‘Embrace Magazine, something I created from nothing, as a highlight of my life,” Sotomayor noted in part on social media.

John Sotomayor of Ocala, left, is shown with Joe Capozzi at the recent awards event. The two are tied for most first place FPC awards by a writer in one year. [Photo courtesy John Sotomayor]

In a press release about the FPC event, Sotomayor noted that he tied the record with Joe Capozzi for most first place awards by a writer in one year.

“He accomplished his in 2022, breaking Mark Howell’s long-standing record of five, which he accomplished in 2007,” Sotomayor said of Capozzi. “I tied Capozzi in 2023 with my six. That makes me a tied state record holder in journalism, and I represent Ocala.”

The “Villages Daily Sun” was honored with the Florida Press Club’s top award, the Frances DeVore Award for Public Service, for its coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. The award is named after the press club’s foundress, DeVore, who was an award-winning and trailblazing journalist with the “Ocala Star-Banner” for nearly 60 years.

The Saturday night event also marked the 75th anniversary of the club’s founding as the Florida Women’s Press Club, which got its start thanks to women journalists who were not eligible for membership in the existing press club, according to the FPC website.

For a complete list of winners and to learn more, go to floridapressclub.org

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