Chuck Merlis
Managing Editor, Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine
I lead coverage focused on Tampa Bay business, leadership and long-term growth.
POSITIONING AND CONTEXT
I am a Tampa-based business reporter and editor serving as Managing Editor of Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. I lead editorial strategy and oversee reporting across print, digital and social platforms.
​
My work focuses on clear storytelling rooted in facts and local context. I cover how business leaders build, adapt and respond to challenges shaping Tampa Bay.
​
EDITORIAL BACKGROUND
Before joining Tampa Bay Business & Wealth, my reporting appeared in Business Observer, Tampa Beacon, FOX 13 News, Creative Loafing and WFLA.
​
I have held leadership roles in professional and academic newsrooms, managing contributors and shaping coverage with a focus on clarity, accuracy and audience trust.
Digital Content Creator
At FOX 13 News, I created digital stories and social content, adapting broadcast pieces for online audiences and responding quickly to breaking news. Here are some of my articles:
Former New College of Florida employee accused of exposing himself to women in Sarasota mall dressing rooms
A now-former New College of Florida employee was arrested for exposing himself multiple times in Manatee and Sarasota counties, according to arrest records.
👉 Click here to read the story.
Nearly 100 on board Royal Caribbean cruise that left Tampa sick with gastrointestinal illness: CDC
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship visiting the Caribbean Islands is full of sick passengers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
👉 Click here to read the story.
Florida offering residents 10 free gallons of gas, Governor DeSantis announces state-run fuel sites
South Tampa Dairy Joy has window shattered by dumbbell: WATCH
Governor Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Plant City on Saturday to discuss Hurricane Milton's recovery efforts underway in Florida.
👉 Click here to read the story.
South Tampa’s Dairy Joy is an institution that has been whipping up homemade ice cream, milkshakes, and root beer floats since 1958.
👉 Click here to read the story.
Safe and sound: Stingrays removed from Tropicana Field
2025's Grand Prix preparations have begun, promising to spark the city’s economy
The Florida Aquarium announced they have moved seven male cownose stingrays from Tropicana Field back to their home at The Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa.
The grandstands are going up, and the first block of the track's wall is ready for the Grand Prix of St. Pete.
👉 Click here to read the story.
👉 Click here to read the story.