Melanie Payne on Muck Rack

Melanie Payne

Florida, Fort Myers
As seen in: E. W. Scripps Company, Forbes, USA Today, Miami Herald, Yahoo, KING-TV (Seattle, WA), Cincinnati Enquirer, KHOU-TV (Houston, TX), WXIA-TV (Atlanta, GA), NorthJersey.com, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) and
Covers:  corruption investigation, consumer protection, scam, charities and anything tax-exempt, public spending

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Melanie Payne’s Biography

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Melanie Payne is an investigative reporter for the USA Today Network-Florida. An experienced reporter her work primarily involves investigations of government agencies and nonprofit entities. Melanie is active in the community, volunteering with community groups and for theater groups. She is an Alumnae Admission Representative for Wellesley College, playwright and non-fiction author. In her spare time Melanie likes to read and play golf. She is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors …

Melanie Payne’s Journalist Portfolio

Man gets the shaft from Eagle Ridge golf course

Man gets the shaft from Eagle Ridge golf course

Robert Work won't be golfing at Eagle Ridge Golf Club anymore. Work's clubs were stolen after a round there i…

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Tell Mel: Throwing cold water on Ice Bucket Challenge

Tell Mel: Throwing cold water on Ice Bucket Challenge

Leave it to me to throw cold water on the Ice Bucket Challenge, but I just can't help myself. The Ice Bucket …

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Know your handyman's history before hiring him

Know your handyman's history before hiring him

Sally Wortman hired a handyman to fix the window on her Fort Myers home. Many of her neighbors had used James…

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Opt out of credit offers to reduce telemarketing calls

Opt out of credit offers to reduce telemarketing calls

The numbers showing up on Caller ID from telemarketers are often similar to your phone number, sometimes off …

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Tell Mel: Fake ad spotted, real bill not

Tell Mel: Fake ad spotted, real bill not

The ad read: "Free Honda '89 GL 1500 free due to death of owner. Contact robinpeter409@gmail.com" It's a scam…

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Articles

The rising cost of mobile home park living in the Sunshine State hitting seniors hard

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By Melanie Payne
| WGCU Public Media Verified
For decades the answer to inexpensive, safe housing for older retired Floridians was found in mobile home communities. Yet with Florida’s growth and an increasing and longer-living senior population, for many, that once sure answer is wrong. The increase in investor-owned parks, parks purchased by condo developers and frequent natural disasters puts low-income and elderly Floridians who live in mobile home communities at risk of homelessness. Drucilla M.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Byron Donalds skirts campaign finance laws in dual bids for Congress, governor

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By Melanie Payne
| The Miami Times Verified
In February, after an endorsement by President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds announced he was running to be Florida’s next governor. Donations began pouring into the Friends of Byron Donalds PAC, totaling more than $22 million. But donations for Byron Donalds for Congress didn’t stop. And the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) has an issue with the Donalds campaign soliciting and collecting money for both.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Up ,up, and away: 2026 health insurance premiums set to double for millions of Floridians

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By Mitch Perry Verified, Michael Orlando, Melanie Payne, Ogechi Adeola
| The Bradenton Times Verified
GOP legislation means that Affordable Care Act premiums will rise sharply in Florida next year. (Getty Images)Health insurance rates will increase sharply for the 4 million-plus Floridians who rely on so-called Obamacare plans or small employer health insurance coverage in the coming weeks, according to data released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The OIR reported late last month that, beginning Jan.
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Interview

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Have you ever used a typewriter?

Of course, don't let this baby face fool you.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

I don't have one. But I do have a favorite journalist who wrote fiction -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

What's your favorite social network?

I'll admit it, I love Facebook. Reporters move a lot and without Facebook I would have lost touch with many of my friends and colleagues.

Awards

Society of Professional Jourinalists - Florida

Diversity

First Place, Dreaming in Color -- Segregation, Integration and Race Relations in Fort Myers 50 years after the March on Washington.

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