Meet the Team
Brendon Leslie
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Brendon Leslie is the founder and CEO of Florida’s Voice, which was established in 2021.
Previously, Leslie worked at local TV news stations in Pennsylvania (Blue Ridge News 11) and Fort Myers (WINK). One year into his 3-year contract with WINK, Leslie quit his job and founded Florida’s Voice, seeking to create a media outlet to cover Florida news honestly and factually without the corporate strings attached.
Leslie graduated from State University of New York at Plattsburgh with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and Audio Radio Production. He is originally from Long Island, New York.
Eric Daugherty
Assistant News Director
Eric Daugherty is the assistant news director of Florida’s Voice.
Previously, Daugherty interned for Florida’s Voice shortly after its founding in 2021 with no prior experience in journalism. Six months into his internship, he was hired and did news reporting, content production, social media and more. Daugherty became the assistant news director in October 2022.
Daugherty is studying Journalism and Political Science at Florida Gulf Coast University, with a minor in Philosophy, and has attended the school since 2020. He is originally from Virginia and Maryland, and moved to Southwest Florida in 2018.
Amber Cooper
Senior Reporter
Amber Cooper is a senior reporter for Florida’s Voice.
Previously, Cooper worked at FOX 21 News in Colorado Springs, Colorado, covering notable events like the 2020 election, the coronavirus pandemic and local protests. At FOX 21, she served as the evening news editor, a reporter and producer. Cooper has won several Pollie Awards as a producer at Arsenal Media. She joined Florida’s Voice in September 2022.
Cooper graduated from Concordia University in Irvine, California with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing.
Owen Girard
Reporter
Owen Girard is a reporter for Florida’s Voice, based in the Tallahassee area, covering stories in the Panhandle and Big Bend portion of Florida.
He joined Florida’s Voice in June 2023 with previous experience in political activism. He founded a Turning Point USA chapter at Tallahassee Community College. Girard has also worked with the Leadership Institute, Campus Reform and other grassroots organizations in the 2022 election.
Girard is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Florida State University.
Michelle Vecerina
Reporter
Michelle Vecerina is a reporter for Florida’s Voice, based in the Jacksonville area, covering stories in northeastern Florida.
She joined Florida’s Voice in November 2022 with no prior journalism experience. Previously, Vecerina was a licensed cosmetologist and stylist.
Vecerina is originally from California and moved to Florida in 2021.
Zach Planes-Whittington
Production Manager
Zach Planes-Whittington is the production manager for Florida’s Voice.
Whittington joined Florida’s Voice in March 2022, bringing experience of photography, video production and graphic design.
He spent the first 10 years of his life in North Carolina before moving to Southwest Florida.
Leah Leonard
Executive Assistant
Leah Leonard is the executive assistant for Florida’s Voice.
She is a student at Florida Gulf Coast University, studying Public Health. She interned for Florida’s Voice during her second year of college and joined the team in June 2022.
Patrick Dearborn
Florida's Voice UNFILTERED Co-host
Patrick Dearborn is a co-host for Florida’s Voice UNFILTERED, a live audience political talk show that takes place in various venues across Florida. Dearborn has been a co-host since the show’s debut.
Dearborn is an 82nd Airborne U.S. Army veteran, a top Naples realtor and is the Collier County fire commissioner. His professional journey began in the U.S. Army where he was awarded the Army’s Good Conduct medal and the U.S. Army Achievement Award for superior service above and beyond the call of duty.
He is a well-known and highly celebrated realtor in Naples, and has been recognized as a top producer at John R. Wood Properties. He has served on the board of directors from 2011-2019. He has received the 5 Star Award (Top Realtor in Naples), featured in Gulfshore Life Magazine, Diamond Award of Excellence, and Top 10 Realtors Company-Wide in John R. Wood Properties.
In addition to his work in real estate, Patrick serves as the fire commissioner for Greater Naples Fire Rescue District in Collier County. As a veteran, he is passionate about giving back to his community. In his free time, Dearborn supports charities and volunteers.
Erika Donalds
Florida's Voice UNFILTERED Co-host
Erika Donalds is a co-host for Florida’s Voice UNFILTERED, a live audience political talk show that takes place in various venues across Florida.
She is the founder and chief executive officer of OptimaEd and The Optima Foundation. Donalds lives in Naples with her husband of 20 years, Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, with three children.
Donalds is a finance professional with a passion for education and has offered her expertise in business and policy to help further the expansion of high quality school choice options, and to improve accountability and governance in Florida’s public schools.
She is a former elected member of the Collier County School Board. Donalds served on Florida’s 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission as well as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Advisory Committee on Education and Workforce Development.
In 2014, she was named one of Gulfshore Business magazine’s 40-Under-40. Donalds now serves on the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees, and on advisory boards for Classical Learning Test, Moms for Liberty, and the Independent Women’s Forum Education Freedom Center.