Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen's candor and humor has been a staple of The Miami Herald for more than two decades. Known for his biting commentary on Florida's rapacious development, scandalous business practices and corrupt politicians, Hiaasen's award-winning weekly column is syndicated nationally.
Hiaasen began his journalism career at Cocoa Today (now the Melbourne-based Florida Today). In 1976, he joined the Herald and worked as a general assignment reporter and magazine writer before joining the investigative team. In 1986, Hiaasen began writing a regular column for the Herald's metropolitan section, eventually moving to the Opinion-Editorial page. Two collections of his columns have been published as books, "Kick Ass" and "Paradise Screwed," both edited by Diane Stevenson.
The author of many best-selling novels, Hiaasen has developed an international following for his fiction. His first novel, "Tourist Season," was published in 1986. Those that followed include: "Double Whammy," "Skin Tight," "Native Tongue," "Strip Tease," "Stormy Weather," "Lucky You," "Sick Puppy," "Skinny Dip" and "Nature Girl." "Strip Tease" was released as a feature film in 1997, starring Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds.
Hiaasen is also the author of popular novels for young readers, including "Flush" and "Hoot," which won a Newbery Honor and in 2006 was made into a motion picture starring Luke Wilson. In addition to his books, Hiaasen co-wrote three songs with the late Warren Zevon, including "Seminole Bingo" and "Rottweiller Blues."
The long list of journalism awards to Hiaasen's credit include the Green Eyeshade Award for investigative reporting in 1980 and humorous commentary in 1986, 1987 and 1997 and the first and second place Florida Society of Newspaper Editors Awards in 1989 and 1997, respectively. For his columns he received the Damon Runyon Award from the Denver Press Club for 2003-2004.
Carl Hiaasen Samples
Let the Lovefest Begin
Now that Florida's bitter Republican primary is over, party leaders are zipping on their Hazmat suits and preparing to embrace Rick Scott.
Why I Like Mike Huckabee
"I'm a conservative, but I'm not mad at everybody over it." I'm writing this to say just one thing: I like Mike.
Airline Meltdown Is Hardly a Surprise
In the case of the flight attendant who went ballistic recently, had a "take this job and shove it" moment, then grabbed a beer, pulled the chute and went slip-sliding away, the only question I have is this: Why didn't the passengers follow him?
Why We Go Back to Haiti
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti -- Because they still need us. Because we still can help. Because the first time we came, their toilets were holes in the ground, their "kitchen" was a pot full of bugs, and their dorm rooms were destroyed.
Corrupt or Just Clueless? You Decide
I have an idea for a new television show about politics. I imagine it as a sort of combination of "Meet the Press," "Judge Judy" and "The Price is Right."
The Bad Boy of Pseudo-Journalism Exposes Himself
If a house is burned to the ground, you can whine about the firemen or criticize the building material -- but first you blame the guy who started the fire, right?
Licensing and Reprints
TMS Licensing: We license popular cartoon characters, puzzles and content from renowned creators for print, interactive, TV and film, mobile and board games. TMS also licenses unique commentary in politics, travel, health, business and other categories.
TMS reprints: We grant websites, newsletters, books and other publications permission to reprint any of the 150-plus columns, cartoons, magazine articles, photos and graphics found in our catalog. This content also can be used in corporate communications and training materials.