Florida SB 1808: Refund of Overpayments Made by Patients

Bill Text

1808 
Pinellas County Schools’ Journeys in Journalism Program 
2026-02-24T04:01:50Z 
Recognizing and commending Pinellas County Schools’ Journeys in Journalism program on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
SR 
Resolution 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1808 

 By Senator Rouson 

 16-02192B-26 20261808__ 
 1 Senate Resolution 
 2 A resolution recognizing and commending Pinellas 
 3 County Schools’ Journeys in Journalism program on the 
 4 occasion of its 25th anniversary. 
 5 
 6 WHEREAS, since 2001, Pinellas County Schools’ Journeys in 
 7 Journalism program has provided students with innovative, hands 
 8 on journalism education through classroom instruction and real 
 9 world reporting experiences, inspiring young reporters, 
 10 photographers, editors, and page designers and winning numerous 
 11 national awards at the elementary, middle, and high school 
 12 levels, and 
 13 WHEREAS, the Journeys in Journalism program was founded by 
 14 parent and journalist Gelareh Asayesh Brown at Melrose 
 15 Elementary School in partnership with the Tampa Bay Times under 
 16 the leadership of teacher and founding coordinator Cynda Mort 
 17 and was later expanded to John Hopkins Middle School and 
 18 Lakewood High School, where it operates as a district magnet 
 19 program, and 
 20 WHEREAS, the program currently serves approximately 800 
 21 students across Melrose Elementary School, John Hopkins Middle 
 22 School, and Lakewood High School, providing a continuous pathway 
 23 for journalism education from elementary through high school, 
 24 and 
 25 WHEREAS, as part of its curriculum, students in the 
 26 Journeys in Journalism program cover the news of their 
 27 respective schools and participate in reporting projects that 
 28 take them into the field, where they conduct interviews, gather 
 29 information, and report on stories through multiple formats, 
 30 including audio, photography, print, and video, and 
 31 WHEREAS, students in the program have completed a wide 
 32 range of reporting projects, including a documentary examining 
 33 the proposed redevelopment of St. Petersburg’s historic Gas 
 34 Plant neighborhood, interviews with prominent officials and 
 35 celebrities, documenting changes in downtown St. Petersburg, 
 36 photographing race car drivers, conducting man-on-the-street 
 37 interviews at local festivals, and producing podcasts and video 
 38 projects featuring local residents and businesses, and 
 39 WHEREAS, the Journeys in Journalism program has produced 
 40 alumni who have gone on to pursue careers in a wide range of 
 41 fields, including journalism and multimedia, media literacy, 
 42 marketing, business, law, hospitality, grades K-12 and higher 
 43 education, and nonprofit operations, and a number of these 
 44 students are recipients of scholarships established in honor of 
 45 program contributors, including the Cynda Mort Scholarship for 
 46 Outstanding Journalist and the Peggy Peterman Book Scholarship, 
 47 and 
 48 WHEREAS, for 25 years, the Journeys in Journalism program 
 49 has enriched the lives of students in the Pinellas County school 
 50 system by strengthening their communication skills, enhancing 
 51 their critical thinking and media literacy, encouraging their 
 52 civic engagement, and preparing them for future educational and 
 53 professional opportunities, NOW, THEREFORE, 
 54 
 55 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 
 56 
 57 That the Florida Senate hereby recognizes and commends 
 58 Pinellas County Schools’ Journeys in Journalism program on the 
 59 occasion of its 25th anniversary.