Mary Ellen Klas

Mary Ellen Klas is the Capitol Bureau Chief for the Miami Herald in Tallahassee, Florida. She has covered seven governors, numerous hurricanes, the divided warfare of gun control and redistricting, campaign spending and the political dynamics of one of the most pivotal, diverse, and economically-divided states in the nation. She was awarded a Nieman Fellowship to study at Harvard for the 2018-19 academic year. She examined the relationship between declining journalism resources and corruption in state and local government. Scroll through these pages to see her work:

Miami Herald • 23rd March 2021

Spring break’s broken trust. Will Frank flip? Is there a new casino in the cards?

It’s Monday, March 22, and spring break meltdown is upon us. But in Tallahassee, everyone wants to know: Will Frank flip? In a stunning sequence of events last week, police raided the Palmetto Bay home of former state senator Frank Artiles on Wednesday. Judging by the arrest warrant, they may have been looking for his home safe.

Miami Herald • 22nd February 2021

Poised for COVID session; election comes into focus with new voting laws, and the governor finds more vaccine VIPs

It’s Monday, Feb. 22 and it’s almost showtime for the Florida Legislature. After a year of sitting on the sidelines as a global pandemic blew holes through every small-government safety net they had knit, Florida legislators prepare to return for their 60-day legislative session starting March 2.

Miami Herald • 15th February 2021

Florida becomes ground zero for B.1.1.7 and Trump’s relaunch, as Haiti could become Biden’s first foreign policy test

It’s Monday, Feb. 15. Happy President’s Day. It seems Florida has become ground zero. When it comes to the B.1.1.7 variant of the COVID virus, also known as the ‘”U.K. variant” which is the more infectious version of the virus, Florida is now the nation’s hotspot. When it comes to the reemergence of Donald Trump, after his historic defeat, second impeachment trial, and Pyrrhic acquittal victory, Florida is also closest to detonation.

Miami Herald • 8th February 2021

Targeting Big Tech, agencies shuffle, unemployment gets hit with fraud and can race to vaccine beat viral variant?

It’s Monday, Feb. 8 and Super Bowl 55 may not have lived up to the hype, but Florida — with an assist from Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski — again demonstrated the value of old people power.

Miami Herald • 1st February 2021

Super Bowl mask tensions, keeping ‘leeches’ at bay, and a state budget buoyed by feds

It’s Monday, Feb. 1. and by this time next week, a divided nation will have joined together for a needed diversion: Super Bowl 55. Florida will be center stage and the first-ever COVID-restricted crowd will get something memorable as their game day souvenirs: N95 masks. Fans would be wise to wear them.

Miami Herald • 25th January 2021

A new president. Can partisans agree on COVID truths? DeSantis shifts the message

It’s Monday, Jan. 25, and we have a new president. “At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.” With those words, Joe Biden began his term as the 46th president of the United States. But while violence was averted and democracy prevailed for the moment, the news of the week demonstrated there is an enormous amount of work still needed to preserve it.

Miami Herald • 18th January 2021

Is domestic terrorism here to stay? Votes put lawmakers on defensive, and vaccine distribution remains rocky

It’s Monday, Jan. 18. Florida legislators returned to the Capitol last week. Pro-Trump protesters did not. As a bitterly divided nation inaugurates a new president this week, and the former president now makes South Florida his permanent home, Florida will also remain home to much of the nation’s story.