Nick Papantonis, WFTV.com

Nick Papantonis, WFTV.com

Reporter

Nick Papantonis joined Eyewitness News as a reporter in June 2021, and primarily focuses on matters involving local governments and courts. Since arriving in Central Florida, Nick has uncovered investigations into elected leaders, unfair treatment in schools and illegal activity that contributed to multiple businesses shutting down. His coverage of the Disney vs. DeSantis battle earned international attention. Before moving to the Sunshine State, Papantonis spent four years reporting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where his background in data journalism helped him lead the state’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. His reporting on disparities in the state’s education system won a Regional Murrow in 2020, the same year he was ranked by the National Press Photographer’s Association for his long-form visual storytelling. Papantonis grew up near Boston, attended Syracuse University and began his career in Binghamton, New York, covering snowstorms that influenced his move to warmer climates. In his spare time, he can usually be found in his back garden, biking the Cady Way Trail or baking a pie.

Latest Headlines by Nick Papantonis

Immigration-only inmates at Orange County jail more than doubled

The number of people being held only because of their immigration status at the Orange County jail more than doubled during the month of July as Central Florida law enforcement agencies continued to ramp up their detention efforts.


Worrell Grand Jury probed destruction of public records, filing claims

A Polk County-based Grand Jury tasked with investigating Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell’s first run in office was looking into accusations she and her deputies systemically failed to preserve and destroyed documents that belonged to taxpayers, according to a filing by an investigator connected to the case.