A Florida native, Carl Hiaasen has been writing about the Sunshine State since his father gave him a typewriter at age six.

Since 1985, Hiaasen has been writing a column for The Miami Herald, covering everything from local issues like polluted rivers, the criminal justice system, and animal welfare, to national stories like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Trayvon Martin case, Bernie Madoff’s trial, and Florida’s presidential election woes. His sharp observations and eye-opening reporting have earned him three Pulitzer Prize nominations.