State Affairs Florida launches with Dara Kam, Jim Saunders

Former News Service of Florida veteran journalists Dara Kam and Jim Saunders have joined State Affairs, a nonpartisan news and policy platform featuring in-depth coverage of state governments.

The two are launching State Affairs Florida, expanding the national platform to the Sunshine State starting Feb. 2.

Kam will serve as Senior Statehouse Reporter for the new bureau, while Saunders will serve as managing editor.

“Florida’s policy decisions ripple far beyond its borders. Opening a Tallahassee bureau lets us bring depth, context and institutional knowledge to coverage that too often gets flattened by daily churn,” State Affairs Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer Alison Bethel said.

“It’s part of our broader vision to steadily expand our footprint nationwide with fair, independent journalism. Dara and Jim know Florida’s Capitol and power centers inside and out, and they share that commitment.”

Kam, who previously hosted “Deeper Dive With Dara Kam” for News Service of Florida, will continue podcasting under a new title, “Between the Lines with Dara Kam.”

“The journey continues,” she said of her new endeavor. “I am thrilled to join State Affairs with colleague Jim Saunders and am dedicated to continuing to provide the comprehensive analysis of Florida politics and government our audience relies on and respects.”

Saunders, meanwhile, shared his colleague’s exuberance, saying he plans to make it “a must-read in Tallahassee.”

“Dara and I have provided trusted coverage of state government and politics for years, and I look forward to this next chapter.”

State Affairs officials describe the outlet as a “policy and politics intelligence platform” that combines “on-the-ground, nonpartisan reporting from statehouse journalists with AI-powered legislative and regulatory tools.”

The staffing shuffle comes after it was reported Jan. 14 that Kam and Saunders were leaving the News Service of Florida. This week, that outlet announced the hire of Gray Rohrer as Executive Editor and Ana Goñi-Lessan as Senior Reporter, filling the void created by Kam and Saunders’ departure.

News Service of Florida Group Publisher Tom Allon said of the new hires that “transitions are a natural part of any newsroom.” He assured that Rohrer and Goñi-Lessan’s expertise “ensures that our coverage remains as sharp and reliable as ever” and said the outlet is moving “into a season of expansion and innovation.”