Palm Beach Post seeks a real estate and economy reporter

The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today network, is looking for a reporter to cover housing/real estate, growth and the economy and politics.

The focus of the beat will be housing, jobs and real estate. Those three critical components impact living standards for people in Palm Beach County. Those issues also, ultimately, tie into politics so this reporter will need to develop sources with local lawmakers and influencers. They also will work with our Florida Network political team as we approach the critical 2022 elections and beyond.

Housing and real estate, which tie into growth in the county, perennially rank as the top concerns for the 1.5 million people who live in Palm Beach County. This beat will pay close attention to trends in pricing and housing availability, both in terms of ownership and rentals. We will look at trends in new construction and availability of everything from single-family homes to townhomes to condos.

Census figures tell us that PBC residents are paying an ever-growing share of their income to cover housing. We want to infuse our stories – which will be heavy on data — with the personal stories of those most affected and impacted by housing costs, our neighbors.

This reporter will also work closely with other team members to broaden our coverage of commercial real estate. The reporter’s focus, however, will be to write the jobs component in commercial real estate. Specifically, the people hired to work in the new warehouse projects and office towers, and how they are changing the economic landscape in Palm Beach County.

We want a reporter who can develop solid sources and pivot from breaking stories to longer-term, in-depth enterprise pieces to draw digital subscriptions, our primary goal. Also part of our goal is to expand our audience so this reporter will need to create content that attracts high web traffic.

Candidates should be adept in social media, using it to find/work sources, engage with our audience and promote our coverage. Three years’ work experience in journalism or equivalent experience required. Previous coverage of real estate and/or growth issues, and database reporting preferred. Embracing digital story-telling a must.

To apply, go here.