Collin Breaux to lead News, Advertiser as editor

News veteran Collin Breaux has returned to the Florida Panhandle to oversee news coverage in Holmes and Washington counties. 

Breaux was named the new editor for the Washington County News and Holmes County Advertiser in an announcement from parent company Kent Smith Group earlier today.

Born and raised in the suburbs of New Orleans, Breaux started his career in 2013 at Magee Courier, a newspaper in Magee, Mississippi. Breaux most recently served as editor for The Capistrano Dispatch in Orange County from 2019 to July 2023. 

Breaux is no stranger to covering community news in the Panhandle, however. He worked four years as a reporter for The News Herald in Panama City. In that capacity, he covered history-making events such as Hurricane Michael, including then Governor Rick Scott’s urging of residents to evacuate before landfall, the year-long aftermath of the storm, and Michael being officially designated a Category 5 storm.

Breaux also covered a Donald Trump rally in Panama City Beach and the towns of Lynn Haven, Callaway, Parker, and Springfield. He additionally covered Bay District Schools and military installations Tyndall Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Panama City.

This marks the first time he has been in the Sunshine State since Michael.

‘I’m excited to be back in the Florida Panhandle news mix and stepping up in my career,’ Breaux said.

Publisher Carol Kent says Breaux understands what it means to be a true community journalist.

‘Collin gets local news and understands our vision of returning the qualities found in community journalism to the News and Advertiser,’ she said. ‘Collin’s experience, leadership, and journalistic abilities will not only increase our ability to report on more important local issues; they will also help us take a deeper look into those issues and what they mean for local residents.’

During his decade-long career in journalism, Breaux has also interviewed Gov. Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Dennis Quaid and Corey Feldman. 

He won a third-place award in the 2016 Florida Society of News Editors contest for a series of articles about economic changes and several awards in the 2018 Florida Press Club competition. He also won several awards for his journalism work in California, including from the California News Publisher Association and Orange County Press Club for his photography and political and environmental coverage. 

Breaux assumed his new role Monday, Sept. 11, joining Senior Reporter Diane Moore and Reporter Nan Thompson in providing local, timely, and relevant news stories to Holmes and Washington counties. Email him at cbreaux@kentsmith.biz.