Gabriella Chavez covers growth and development on the Gulf Coast of Alabama for Gulf Coast Media. Chavez graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an outside concentration in public health and health sciences. During her senior year, Chavez worked on an international reporting project in Costa Rica, where she explored the limits of ecotourism, focusing on the intersections between tourists and animals. Her journalism career began in college, where she reported for WUFT News and the Independent Florida Alligator, the university’s independent, student-run paper. As the El Caimán reporter, she covered the Hispanic and Latino community beat, reporting on issues affecting local Latinx populations, including cultural events, education, immigration and local policy. At WUFT News, she covered stories on science, environment and weather in North Central Florida. Chavez was born in Miami, Florida, was raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and is fluent in Spanish. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys reading and running.
Beat: Growth and development in coastal Alabama, environmental and human impacts
Baldwin is one of two Alabama counties on the Gulf Coast. With deep-seated roots in agriculture, and industry that once benefited from noninterference is now at risk of degradation and even destruction. This reporter explores causes for the challenges posed by a changing landscape and whether proposed solutions are working, from grassroots projects to the legislature. Topics include silty construction runoff, building on endangered animals’ habitats, unprotected underwater forests, and the impact on infrastructure, workforce pipelines and public education.