Former ABC News Reporter To Handle Tampa's Media Relations

TAMPA, FL — The city of Tampa has selected former reporter, Lauren Rozyla, as its new media relations manager.

Rozyla's is a familiar face in the Tampa Bay community, having worked as a morning show reporter for ABC Action News. She is a self-proclaimed "city government nerd" who spent the past six years covering traffic safety and education topics.

Rozyla will join the city's marketing and communications team, which is tasked with telling the city's story, sharing key updates on city projects, initiatives and services, and keeping residents informed.

As media relations manager, Rozyla's key responsibilities will include developing a local media strategy, serving as a liaison with area news media, organizing press briefings and supporting the Marketing & Communications Department's overall goals.

Rozyla is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of reporting experience across the country. She lives in Seminole Heights with her husband, two small children, rescue pets and a flock of backyard chickens.

She will work with the city's communications director, Adam Smith. As political editor for the Tampa Bay Times, Smith was named one of the best political writers in Florida by the Washington Post, and named one of the nation's top 10 political reporters by the Columbia Journalism Review.

Before his appointment as communications director, Smith served as senior vice president at Mercury, a public strategy firm.