SPJ Florida recognizes Moore for consecutive wins in Business & Consumer Affairs and Lifestyle, Culture & Trends, plus Food & Travel finalist honor
MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, September 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Cortney Danielle Moore, a Miami-based hospitality reporter with the South Florida Business Journal, earned two first-place honors and a finalist recognition at the 2026 Sunshine State Awards for journalistic works published in 2025.
Presented by SPJ Florida, the Sunshine State Awards recognize excellence in journalism across print, broadcast, audio, photography and digital platforms. This year’s awards were presented Aug. 29 at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale.
Moore took first place in Beat Reporting – Business & Consumer Affairs and Beat Reporting – Lifestyle, Culture & Trends, marking her second consecutive first-place finish in both areas of coverage.
Her award-winning Business & Consumer Affairs work examined the growing use of autonomous robots in South Florida’s hospitality, retail and restaurant industries as well as the adoption of AI-powered pricing by a regional supermarket chain. She also covered federal regulatory developments affecting the market for compounded GLP-1 weight loss drugs — a follow-up to “Weight Loss Injections Boom,” a centerpiece that contributed to her first-place win in the category the year before.
For Lifestyle, Culture & Trends, Moore explored the business forces behind shifts in how South Floridians spend their leisure time and money. Her reporting examined the rise of fractional yacht ownership as an alternative to traditional boat ownership, businessman Wayne Boich’s push to expand padel beyond its luxury niche and the multimillion-dollar investments restaurants are making in renovations to remain competitive in South Florida’s dining market.
“Winning either of these categories means a great deal to me. Coming back a year later and taking first place in both again feels incredibly validating,” Moore said. “I’m grateful to the judges and the industry veterans who took the time to review our work.”
She added: “I’ve always believed business and lifestyle journalism complement each other. Some of the most interesting business stories are ultimately about how people eat, travel, shop and experience the world around them.”
Moore was also named a finalist in Beat Reporting – Food & Travel for work examining South Florida’s evolving hospitality and tourism industries, including the untapped potential of Miami’s Korean dining market, the upscale restaurant resurgence transforming Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard and the economic and political pressures reshaping travel to the region.
Additionally, Moore’s fractional yacht ownership reporting contributed to the South Florida Business Journal’s finalist honor in this year’s Special Publication or Section category.
Originally from the South Bronx in New York City, Moore is a proud graduate of Hofstra University, Borough of Manhattan Community College and the High School of Fashion Industries. She now lives in Miami and covers South Florida’s dynamic hospitality sector, reporting on the region’s restaurant, lifestyle, hotel, retail and tourism industries.
Prior to joining the Business Journal in October 2023, Moore covered lifestyle, business and entertainment news for Fox News Digital and FOX Business and served as senior digital features editor at Black Bride Magazine. She has also covered consumer tech news for Tom’s Guide, Laptop Mag and B&H Explora, and contributed long-form features to Byrdie, The Glow Edit by Glow Recipe and The Knot.
The full list of winners from the 2026 Sunshine State Awards can be found here: https://bit.ly/4iY4R47
For more information about the awards, visit: www.spjflorida.com
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About
SPJ Florida Pro Chapter Sunshine State Awards
The Sunshine State Awards, presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Florida Pro Chapter, celebrate excellence in journalism across Florida. The competition is open to all news organizations, regardless of circulation or market size, and aims to highlight impactful reporting that informs, engages, and serves the public.
South Florida Business Journal
The South Florida Business Journal delivers essential business news, data, and insights for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Covering a wide range of industries—including hospitality, real estate, health care, and finance—it offers in-depth reporting on the people, companies, and trends shaping South Florida.
Cortney Danielle Moore
Multimedia Journalist
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