A woman wearing a white blazer and blue shirt stands in front of a LION Publishers step and repeat holding an award plaque.
Deirdre Conner, Publisher & CEO, accepts the LION Publishers Business of the Year Award at the organization’s summit in San Diego in September 2026. | Photo by Fig Media courtesy of LION Publishers

The transformative year that has seen The Florida Trib’s staff and coverage expand statewide was recognized this month at the 2026 LION Publishers’ Sustainability Awards.

The Trib’s Publisher & CEO Deirdre Conner accepted the LION Business of the Year award in the medium/large revenue tier category on Sept. 9 at the Independent News Sustainability Summit in San Diego. The award criteria focuses on LION’s sustainability pillars of operational resilience, financial health, and journalistic impact.

“The expansion and rebranding of the Florida Trib was an incredible undertaking,” LION judges wrote. “The all-encompassing, careful, and strategic planning they embraced over the past year demonstrated an intentional approach to sustainability across the board.”

Other comments from judges included that The Trib successfully adapted models and practices outside the organization and included community input and collaborative partnerships. The Trib’s increased revenue through major new donors, event sponsorships and ticketed events, reporting reach to 10 million Floridians through 105 news partner outlets, recent journalism awards, and reporting impact that triggered federal investigations, policy reversals, and checks on government spending were also noted.

A crowd of people at round tables claps and watches an awards ceremony
Attendees at the LION Publishers Sustainability Awards ceremony in San Diego on Sep. 9, 2026. | Photo by Fig Media courtesy of LION Publishers

LION Publishers offers various programs to existing and potential independent news publishers to help build and strengthen business practices, all with an eye on ensuring an equitable and accessible local news industry. 

The Trib has benefited from the expertise and support since LION’s early days, Conner said, adding that the startup resources from the LION Sustainability 360 program helped build capacity during this expansion year.

“It’s an honor to be recognized among a field of creative, courageous journalism organizations,” Conner said, referencing the 58 total nominees and 17 winners at the Sustainability Awards. “I admire them all tremendously.”

Liz Flaisig is The Florida Trib's Partnerships Manager.

Her experience in journalism includes weekly, daily, and investigative reporting and editorial board writing at several publications including the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville Business Journal, and the Fort Pierce Tribune. More recently, Liz served as department chair and instructor of creative writing at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for 15 years. In addition to her research and development work for The Tributary, she is a private tutor for middle and high school students in English Language Arts and a graduate student in University of Rhode Island’s Library and Information Studies program.