Sebastian Daily is the local newspaper in Sebastian, Florida. We are a trusted news organization with more readers than any other local publication in Indian River County. Our service area includes Sebastian, Fellsmere, Micco, Vero Beach, and all areas along the Sebastian River.
Today, most people use electronic devices to read their news, and we deliver it from our website. For example, anyone using a tablet, mobile phone, or personal computer can read our content.
Sebastian Daily is the local newspaper in Sebastian, Florida. We are a trusted news organization with more readers than any other local publication in Indian River County. Our service area includes Sebastian, Fellsmere, Micco, Vero Beach, and all areas along the Sebastian River.
Our company has been publishing news for nearly 20 years. We began publishing national news in 2003, but under a different name. In 2015, we changed our name to Sebastian Daily and began publishing local content. We focus on proximity, keeping readers engaged in everything we publish.
We focus on proximity and stories that matter in our community. Our news team is motivated, reporting on hometown news while delivering a non-bias platform to our readers. We minimize opinionated columns because we know through experience that people want the information written without an agenda.
We love Sebastian and other nearby towns. We dedicate our work towards excellence in all news stories and encourage our readers to share their ideas. We strive for integrity and trust.
Sebastian Daily is just a few miles from the Sebastian Inlet, providing accurate weather, boating tips, fishing information, and news. While most of our readers prefer to read local news from our website, we also distribute our news to Facebook, YouTube, and our newsletter.
Since our start as the local news source in Sebastian, our reporting was trusted during Hurricane Mathew in 2017, and again when the Red Tide phenomenon that hit our beaches in 2018. Our report and camera footage was also seen on CNN.
In 2017, we were the only media outlet filming live after Hurricane Mathew, which many who vacated and tuned in to watch our coverage appreciated. We showed that the storm didn’t have a large impact on our area, and most of the roads were re-opened.
Another example of honest reporting was when Red Tide hit our beaches. Sebastian Daily was the first media outlet to be in Vero Beach filming live as Red Tide was moving towards the Sebastian Inlet. Our staff visited the beaches on and off for approximately 10 days. Again, we were honest about the Red Tide, providing accurate reports.
We informed residents that although Red Tide was in the Indian River Lagoon, no fish or other wildlife died. Also, we were the first to suggest that the beaches would re-open soon, which happened 24 hours later.
Local journalism is the cornerstone of our democracy. We love what we do and are happy to report news in our beloved town of Sebastian, Florida.
Sebastian Daily is owned by Sebastian Daily, LLC.
Our Staff
Andy Hodges – Editor in Chief
Andy Hodges was born in Annapolis, Maryland, and arrived in Sebastian in 1974 with his mother. Later on, he and his mother moved to Jupiter. He has been a radio and TV personality since the mid-1980s. Andy has worked for WFLX-TV (Fox 29), WIRK, WLIZ, WIXI, WKSY, WRMF, and others. In 1994, Andy took a break from broadcasting and was a software and systems engineer for various companies. In 2002, he permanently moved back to Sebastian, where Andy’s family has lived for nearly 50 years. He returned to the broadcasting sector in 2005. Andy joined Sebastian Daily as our editor-in-chief in 2016.
Ted Kwarchak – Photographer
Ted Kwarchak was born in Georgia. In 1968, he graduated high school in Merrit Island, Florida. He then completed anesthesia training in Columbia, South Carolina, and began a career in 1976 working for an anesthesia group that services hospitals in Sebastian, Vero Beach, and Fort Pierce. Kwarchak retired in 2016 and lives in Sebastian with his wife Mary Sue. They just celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary, and have two children and three grandchildren in the area. Kwarchak held a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s license for ten years and enjoyed offshore and inshore fishing. He also obtained an FCC advance radio operator’s license for his amateur radio hobby. Being retired and having grandchildren played a big part in renewing his interest in photography. Kwarchak joined our team in 2020.
Arlo Guthrie – Contributor
Arlo Guthrie is an American retired legendary singer and songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father Woody Guthrie. Guthrie’s best-known work is his debut piece, “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” a satirical talking blues song about 18 minutes in length that has since become a Thanksgiving anthem. His best hit was a cover of Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans.”
Brian LaPersonerie – Photographer/Food Critic
Born and raised around New York’s diverse culture and cuisine, it’s no surprise that Brian inherited a palate for great food. His background – German, Welsh, English, French, Irish and even Sicilian – has exposed him to all styles of cooking; whether at holiday gatherings or from his talented mom in their family kitchen. Brian says, “we eat with our eyes first” so capturing and presenting the deep colors of food is an art and an important part of Brian’s reviews. Being a life-long foodie, with experience in and out of the kitchen has taught Brian the more technical parts of cooking and hospitality. But in theory, he’s just a regular person, like you and I, who loves food and wants to help further your culinary adventures!
Tina Hodges – VP of Marketing
Tina Hodges is a Sebastian native. After graduating from Sebastian River High School, she studied Business Management & Marketing at Indian River State College. Tina worked for Dooney & Bourke for many years before she became our VP of Sales & Marketing & Journalist. Tina joined Sebastian Daily in 2016.
Joy Nottage – Health & Fitness Expert
Joy Nottage is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist. Joy teaches group fitness classes at Sebastian Gym and coaches clients in healthy eating and exercise programs both in-person and online.
Roy Garton – Contributor
Roy Garton is the owner of FDMC Media. He is also an actor who has played in several movies. Roy is also a broadcaster and journalist. As a television news journalist in a very popular resort area, Roy has had the opportunity to cover Statesmen, Presidents, and Russian Diplomats as they passed through the area on political missions. He has also worked with the White House Press Corps.
Roy left Wyoming in 1992 and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma again working in television before settling down in Florida where lives in Palm Bay and is married to former Sebastian resident Mary Myers-Garton. He continues to act in films and television.
Jennifer Balakrishnan – Reporter
Jennifer Balakrishnan lives in Vero Beach, Florida. She moved to Indian River County when she was 6-years-old. Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree at Florida State University. She writes our crime stories and is one of our food/restaurant critics.
Matthew Acosta – Contributor
Matthew Acosta is a student at Sebastian River High School and a cadet in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. He currently serves as the NJROTC Public Affairs Officer.
