Along the Coast: The Coastal Star reaps awards at Florida Press Association ceremony

The Coastal Star won seven first-place awards and 15 overall at the Florida Press Association award ceremony held June 5. Staff photo

Staff report

The Coastal Star received 15 awards June 5 from the Florida Press Association for coverage it provided during 2025, including seven first-place prizes.

In one of the most prestigious awards, the paper also placed second in general excellence, coming after a first-place finish in that category last year.

"I hope the recognition shows our readers that we are continuously striving to give them the best community newspaper possible," Editor Larry Barszewski said.

The awards were presented during the annual Florida Media Conference, held this year at Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista. The paper competed in the weekly and monthly newspaper category with papers having a circulation exceeding 15,000.

The Coastal Star awards winners are:

First Place

Rich Pollack; Roads & Transportation: Along the Coast: Crosswalk Confusion

Ron Hayes; Sports Feature Story: Along the Coast: From Player to Piper

Janis Fontaine; Agricultural & Environmental Reporting: Boca Raton: FAU’s mascot faces a familiar foe — the university itself

Tim Stepien; Spot News Photo: Above photo showing a family on State Road A1A literally putting their lives in their hands as they raise them to alert drivers to their presence so they can cross safely. There had been a recent fatality involving a pedestrian who had been struck and killed by a car while in the same Delray Beach crosswalk.