Jay Waagmeester

Jay Waagmeester

[email protected]

Jay is the education reporter for the Florida Phoenix. He previously covered Iowa politics and the 2024 Iowa caucuses for the Iowa Capital Dispatch and also served as the academics editor for the Iowa State Daily where he reported on higher education policy and trends. Jay studied journalism and marketing at Iowa State University and is based in Tallahassee.

Data breached — personal information from Florida Department of Education
Florida

Data breached — personal information from Florida Department of Education

1:49pm ET
Jay Waagmeester
Personal information, including Social Security numbers, of as many as 4.9 million individuals was vulnerable during a data breach at the Florida Department of Education, the agency announced Thursday. The department learned about the breach of its financial aid website...
Uthmeier: AI company allows people to generate sexually explicit pictures of kids
Florida

Uthmeier: AI company allows people to generate sexually explicit pictures of kids

Oct 28, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
An artificial intelligence company allows users to generate sexually explicit pictures and videos of minors, or “nudify” them, Attorney General James Uthmeier alleged in a legal complaint Wednesday. Filed in state Circuit Court in Sarasota County, Uthmeier’s suit alleges A2E...
Juvenile arrested after 11 people shot near FAMU homecoming
Florida

Juvenile arrested after 11 people shot near FAMU homecoming

Oct 26, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
Florida A&M University’s homecoming was the setting of shootings that injured 12, including 11 struck by gunfire. Of the 11 struck, six were juveniles, according to Tallahassee Police Department. The suspect is a 15-year-old. The shootings occurred just before 8...
Come together: Jolly and Nixon stump on FAMU campus as election draws near
Florida

Come together: Jolly and Nixon stump on FAMU campus as election draws near

Oct 23, 2026
Christine Sexton Jay Waagmeester
The two Democrats at the top of the Florida party’s statewide ticket came together Friday on the campus of Florida A&M University — one of the few times they have campaigned in tandem since winning their nominations. Both Democratic gubernatorial...
Uthmeier ramps up social media discourse as attorney general election approaches
Florida

Uthmeier ramps up social media discourse as attorney general election approaches

Oct 22, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
Attorney General James Uthmeier is seeking further social media regulation for young Floridians after rejecting a national social-media settlement and following a court victory last week. Appearing at a news conference Thursday, Uthmeier gave parameters of legislation he wants to...
Despite earlier hesitation to campaign, DeSantis hosts event supporting Amendment 3
Florida

Despite earlier hesitation to campaign, DeSantis hosts event supporting Amendment 3

Oct 21, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
Gov. Ron DeSantis for more than an hour Wednesday sat at a table with Miami leaders in front of TV cameras and advocated for the proposed constitutional amendment to increase homestead property tax exemptions. In June, having spent months proposing...
Judge: Teacher put on blast by state officials should be reprimanded, not suspended
Florida

Judge: Teacher put on blast by state officials should be reprimanded, not suspended

Oct 20, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
An Alachua County teacher should be issued a written letter of reprimand for allowing classmates to label a student the “most likely to become a dictator” during the 2022-2023 school year, an administrative judge ruled. This recommendation came more than...
School board members can be deposed for removing library books, federal court rules
Florida

School board members can be deposed for removing library books, federal court rules

Oct 19, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
A years-long legal battle over book removals in Escambia County has a new chapter. A federal appeals court ruled school members may be deposed about why they removed library books and classroom material. The lawsuit was brought by book publishers...
In the Dark? 2026 ‘Government in the Sunshine’ manual seemingly shelved
Florida

In the dark? 2026 ‘Government in the Sunshine’ manual seemingly shelved

Oct 16, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has not published the Government in the Sunshine Manual this year, seemingly breaking an annual effort by attorneys general in the state for decades. The book is typically published in partnership with the Florida First...
New K-12 science curriculum scrutinized; December vote by Board of Ed expected
Florida

New K-12 science curriculum scrutinized; December vote by Board of Ed expected

Oct 14, 2026
Jay Waagmeester
Education Commissioner Henry Mack spent part of Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting trying to set the record straight on the department’s initiative to re-write science standards for public schools. The standards, which have not been updated since 2008, are undergoing...
David Jolly: Governor’s race likely comes down to undecided Black Floridians
Florida

David Jolly: Governor’s race likely comes down to undecided Black Floridians

Oct 12, 2026
Jay Waagmeester Christine Sexton
Undecided Black voters, David Jolly says, may decide who becomes Florida’s next governor. Appearing in Tallahassee Monday, Jolly and running mate Gwen Graham were flanked by U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Al...
Cher Stanturf, her daughters and neighbors touch base on Oct. 10, 2026, the morning after Hurricane Isaias ripped through their mobile home park in Pensacola, Florida.
National

Hurricane Isaias brings wind, water and destruction

Oct 10, 2026
Ralph Chapoco Michael Moline Jay Waagmeester
Hurricane Isaias made landfall Friday night in Destin, Florida, packing 110 mph winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across a large swath of the Southeast. Heavy rains from the storm’s remnants could still...