ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2026) — 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 about the local impacts of Florida’s Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping law (House Bill 1365). Over 100 stories were shared, amplifying the 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. Her background includes reporting roles at The Bradenton Herald and ABC affiliate WCJB-TV and a reporting fellowship with Cortico AI.
“Collaborative Journalism Resource Hub provides comprehensive support to journalism collaboratives across the U.S.,” says Amy Maestas, director of Collaborative Journalism Resource Hub. “News Collaborative of Central Florida is the first of 20 collaboratives the Hub will support over the next five years to advance the field of collaborative journalism. NCCF is a strong and dedicated group of media and community organizations that are willing to evolve from a competitive mindset to collaboration as a commitment to bringing stronger journalism to their communities. We look forward to being a resource as they join the robust and growing practice of collaborative journalism in the U.S.”
Central Florida Foundation serves as a convener, operational advisor and fiscal sponsor for NCCF and is an independent, trusted bridge builder across the journalism ecosystem. As the initial charitable investor in this emerging journalism model, Central Florida Foundation is proud to support local media coming together to better serve the region.
“This collaboration of journalists comes online at a critical moment, when Central Floridians are facing important decisions. By bringing together a more diverse group of journalists committed to helping residents understand what they are voting on, the News Collaborative of Central Florida plays an important role in strengthening our community,” says Mark Brewer, president and CEO, Central Florida Foundation. “Central Florida Foundation has a long history of supporting civic engagement, and local media is a vital pillar of a healthy, civically engaged region."
Central Florida Public Media is pleased to add its deep reporting experience to the Collaborative and to share the work of NCCF partners with its audience across nine counties. Together, the media outlets participating in NCCF will be able to dig deeper into important local issues, cover more candidates and races and engage more community members. Residents can help shape election coverage from Central Florida Public Media and NCCF by visiting cfpublic.org/midterm-survey
About Central Florida Public Media
Central Florida Public Media is a nonprofit, public media news organization based in Orlando, Fla., serving nine counties across Central Florida with trustworthy, independent journalism. Community owned and independently operated for over four decades, Central Florida Public Media is primarily supported by generous individual donors, foundations and corporate sponsors. Central Florida Public Media operates 90.7; 90.7-2 HD Classical; and 89.5 WMFV, public radio for The Villages, Leesburg and The Golden Triangle.As Central Florida’s primary provider of NPR programming and high-quality local journalism, Central Florida Public Media can be enjoyed on multiple platforms including all podcast platforms, smart speakers and the Central Florida Public Media app and website. To learn more, visit www.cfpublic.org.
About News Collaborative of Central Florida
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, LkldNow, Ocala Gazette, Orlando Sentinel, Osceola News Gazette, Oviedo Community News, VoxPopuli, Winter Park Voice and WKMG News 6.
About Collaborative Journalism Resource Hub
The Hub provides comprehensive support to journalism collaboratives across the U.S. It is housed at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University and funded by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Learn more about the Hub’s resources and support by visiting https://collaborativejournalism.org/hub/.
About Central Florida Foundation
As our region’s community foundation, Central Florida Foundation serves as a launchpad for high-impact philanthropy. Championing the collective power of head, heart and dollar, we coordinate the commitment and investment of philanthropists, nonprofits and community partners to target today’s most critical challenges and those on the horizon. The Foundation also offers expert giving advice, a personalized approach to managing charitable funds and the capacity to convene collaboration across sectors. Learn more about Central Florida Foundation by visiting cffound.org.
Media Contact:
Lilly Carrion
407-680-1320
Lilly.carrion@andbarr.co