Amy Hollyfield, the Tampa Bay Times’ deputy managing editor for politics and business, sent out the following announcement:
I’m very sorry to announce that Drew Harwell is leaving the Times to join the Washington Post.
Drew will be a national business reporter. His last day will be Aug. 1.
Over several years, Drew has made a big impact here. A native of St. Petersburg, he first came to the Times as a copy clerk in 2006, then interned in 2009 and returned full time after graduating from the University of Florida. He worked on the NOW team in Tampa, covered the city of Dunedin, did a stint in Pasco and covered City Hall in Clearwater.
Two years ago, he joined the Business staff to cover real estate. A massive beat with tentacles in every corner of our area, Drew jumped in with news, trends and enterprise — and 1A story after 1A story.
A natural writer with a hungry reporter’s disposition, Drew brought splash and scope to a beat that could just be numbers and Realtors. He got training so he could tap into the MLS database and home sales recovery indicators before anyone else. He worked sources around Tampa Bay to deliver terrific inside-real estate stories like his recent takeout on people living cheaply and minimally in luxury homes to give them the looked-in feel for buyers. And he kept us ahead of the marketplace by showing the changing landscape around us.
His series on Wall Street investors buying up thousands of area homes to rent out helped win a SABEW award for real estate reporting, beating out finalists from Bloomberg News and the New York Times. He also helped get some laws rewritten after publishing a story about a big home builder quietly hanging onto mineral rights under homes.
Drew is a solid team player and a pleasure to work with. Graham, in particular, will miss their engaging conversations that often strayed well beyond real estate.
Drew leaves us for a terrific opportunity in Washington with his wife, Leanna. We wish him all the best. Please congratulate him.
