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Lauren Peace - Enterprise Reporter/Equity
Lauren Peace

Enterprise Reporter/Equity

I’m an enterprise reporter who writes stories about equity and inclusion for the Tampa Bay Times. My job is to amplify the voices of people who are working to make our neighborhoods better. I also shine light on the systems and practices that hold marginalized people back. Human narratives are at the center of my work. I’m a reporter because of my desire to understand and connect with our community. I’m a storyteller because I want to help others feel closer to it, too. Want to chat, offer tips on where to find the best egg-and-cheese sandwich in town or gush about West Virginia (my home state)? Reach out. I’m here to listen.

  1. A Clearwater woman was murdered. A police chief took action
    • Pinellas
    Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy sits at his desk inside police headquarters. After Audrey Petersen’s murder, Gandy invited CASA advocates and attorneys into the building to provide on-site support for victims.
  2. From a Tampa church, a pastor works to set domestic violence survivors free
    • Tampa
    Ericka Iglesias pins a domestic violence awareness ribbon onto Pastor Michael Neely ahead of a presentation at his church.
  3. Meet Tampa Bay’s scariest grandma
    • Life & Culture
    Betty Dick is the oldest scare actor at Scream-A-Geddon Horror Park. She came into this work by happy accident.
  5. How to support domestic violence survivors around Tampa Bay this October
    • Pinellas
    The CASA Community Thrift Store, located at 1011 1st Ave N in St. Petersburg.
  6. A lesser known harm of hurricanes? More domestic violence
    • Environment
    A counselor wears a “I support survivors,” T-shirt at a camp for Tampa Bay children who have experienced domestic violence.
  7. Tampa Bay kids find healing at this summer camp for survivors
    • News
    Campers join arms and sing on the final day of Camp HOPE America-Florida Gulf Coast. In a nearby field, they cartwheel and play tag and twirl in dizzying swarms. They shout and whoop and squeal and giggle as the sun falls below the tree line, drops of golden glimmering through.
  8. She left her abusive ex. Could she stay away?
    • Crime
    Recantation is a pattern extremely common in domestic violence cases, but that’s not always understood by people supporting survivors.
  9. MidFlorida amphitheater in Tampa adds new space for concertgoers
    • Life & Culture
    A new amenity called The Backyard has opened at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa. Like a beer garden with a barbecue it is situated near the stage with air conditioned bathrooms and lounge areas.
  10. For a Florida couple, hearing aids weren’t working. A doctor offered a fix.
    • Health
    Susan O’Neil, left, and her husband Dennis O’Neil, center, leave a pre-surgery appointment at the Vitale Ear, Nose & Throat clinic on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Zephyrhills.
  11. 6 ways Florida’s public safety system leaves domestic violence victims vulnerable
    • Crime
    Audrey Petersen tacked Post-it notes around her home, reminders of birthdays and baby showers. After her breakup, she wrote them to remind her of a pending court date and to set her house alarm as her ex-boyfriend stalked and threatened her. Petersen was one of dozens killed by domestic violence in Florida last year.
  12. A Florida nurse was stalked, then killed. Why didn’t police arrest her ex?
    • News
    Audrey Petersen.
  13. A Florida nurse was stalked, then killed. Why didn’t police arrest her ex?
    • Crime
    Audrey Petersen.
  14. Audrey Petersen was ‘a person that you wanted to be around.’ Domestic violence took her life
    • Crime
    Audrey Petersen was one of the dozens of people whose lives were taken by domestic violence in Florida last year.
  15. Tampa Bay’s Guinness World Record holders juggle flames, spin doughnuts
    • Entertainment
    Aidan Webster juggles flaming torches at Eckerd College's South Beach, where he set multiple records for the Guinness Book of World Records on Dec. 3 in St. Petersburg.
  16. At the Florida State Fair, the big wheel invites fairgoers to float above the chaos
    • Entertainment
    The Midway Sky Eye, the largest traveling Ferris wheel in North America, will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds through Feb. 17, 2025.
  17. After years of living in motels, a Tampa Bay family gets a home for the holidays
    • Real Estate
    Josh Rodriguez, 14, works on his layup while playing basketball with friend Xavier Regan, 10, on Saturday, Dec 14, 2024, in the front yard of his home in Tarpon Springs.
  18. Dating sucks! Pitch-a-Friend Tampa Bay is trying to change that
    • St. Petersburg
    Maria Rivero pitches her friend, Allison Aucar, at a dating event at Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe in St. Petersburg in November. Pitch-A-Friend events offer singles an antidote to dating app fatigue.
  19. Florida abortion amendment fails, 6-week ban to stay in place
    • Elections
    Sabrina Dennis, 36, watches one of several television screens showing election results during the Yes on 4 Election Day watch party, in support of abortion reform in Florida, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in St. Petersburg.
  20. In this St. Petersburg neighborhood, climate inequity is on full display
    • St. Petersburg
    Aracelly Graffer, who grew up in the Bartlett Park neighborhood, is one of several people on the block who had homes damaged by the recent hurricanes. Across the street, big and sturdy new builds were largely unaffected. Though her neighborhood is gentrifying, she’s determined to stay on the street where she’s lived since the 1970s, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 in St. Petersburg.
  21. After hurricanes wrecked businesses, workers are desperate for jobs
    • Hurricane
    Hospitality worker Joseph Romano, 69, took a job as a cashier at a store on Sand Key. After two hurricanes hit the region, decimating businesses, he's one of hundreds of workers unsure if he'll be able to keep his job.
  22. Amid Florida hurricane wreckage, young love prevails
    • Hurricane
    Against all odds, Jasmine Alvarado and Riley Hannan were married five days after a hurricane tore through their community, upending the backyard wedding they'd planned and destroying their home. "I knew we would make it work one way or another," Hannan said.
  23. After Hurricane Milton, a feeling of ‘fight or flight’ along Pinellas beaches
    • Hurricane
    Damage is shown on Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach on Friday.
  24. For Paradise Grille in St. Pete Beach, a chance to come back stronger after Milton
    • Hurricane
    The owner of the Paradise Grille on St. Pete Beach said his business will be closed for several months as they recover from Hurricane Helene, but that Milton didn't add much if any damage to the business.