Mike Deeson is the Senior Investigative Reporter for 10 News, where he has been reporting for more than 30 years and still says he loves and love coming to work every single day.
Mike says he continually tries to expose people who think they are above the law who don't feel like they have to play by the rules. He always looks for politicians that try to grab power and abuse the system.
Mike is an eight-time Emmy award winning reporter including winning the Silver Circle Lifetime achievement award from the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science (NATAS) The Emmy parent Organization. He is the only Journalist in the Tampa Bay area to ever win this award. In all Mike has been nominated for an Emmy 30 times.
Mike is also a three-time winner of the Green Eye Shade Awards, the nation's largest and oldest regional journalism contest.
He has won more than 50 awards from the Associated Press, United Press International and the Society for Professional Journalists including being honored as the outstanding reporter in Florida four times and outstanding reporter in the Southeast.
His 2012 Emmy winning investigation into the Pasco Housing Authority forced the executive director to resign, a federal investigation into illegal activity and the Governor removed and replaced the entire board.
Mike's 2012 Emmy winning "In God We Trust" specialty license plates has spawned a state and two federal investigations and resulted in the DMV freeing the funds the charity was collecting but not giving to the widows and families of fallen firefighters and police officers.
In 2008, Mike was able to break the wheelchair dumping story that became national news. The story caused the Attorney General to open an Investigation and forced the Hillsborough Sheriff to appoint an Independent Commission to review policies in the jail.
Mike is a 1970 graduate of the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism and began working in broadcasting and journalism at the age of 17. In 2008 Mike went back to the University of Missouri for an intense course on Computer Assisted Reporting which was sponsored by the Investigative Reporters and Editors Association.
Prior to WTSP TV, he worked at WAVY TV in Norfolk, VA, as a weekend anchor, political reporter and talk show host.
In addition to daily news stories, Mike is a songwriter and the Regional Coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International, NSAI. He has written more than 500 songs including the title song Way Too Hot to Handle on Gene Garrett's debut album, Way Too Hot! Mike also wrote songs for a project that helps kids to learn how to read by singing.
In his free time, Mike an avid golfer, but admits that doesn't mean he scores as well as he would like to. Mike and his wife Laurie live in Tampa. They have two children, a daughter in college and a son in his late 20's.
MDeeson@wtsp.com or MikeD@wtsp.com and you can Follow me on Twitter at MikeDeeson@twitter.com