Capital Tiger Bay Club Hosts
Skip Foster
Founder of Red Tape Florida & President & Publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat
Join the Capital Tiger Bay Club on Thursday, June 18, as we welcome Skip Foster, Founder of Red Tape Florida and former president and publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat, for a conversation on media, messaging, public affairs, and the growing challenges surrounding local government bureaucracy, permitting, and accountability in Florida.
Drawing on more than three decades in journalism, communications, and executive leadership, Foster will share insights from his career covering and shaping some of Florida’s most consequential political and public policy conversations. He will also discuss the launch and growth of Red Tape Florida, a platform focused on shining a light on excessive permitting, government inefficiencies, and bureaucratic hurdles impacting communities and businesses across the state, while also highlighting best practices and advocacy opportunities for reform.
Explore the Red Tape Florida site here: Red Tape Florida
We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be an engaging and informative program.
Founder of Red Tape Florida & Former President & Publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat
About our Speaker
Skip Foster, Founder of Red Tape Florida — a website now in its second year devoted to shining a light on excessive permitting and local government bureaucracy — is a pillar of Florida’s journalism and communications landscape, and the former president and publisher of the capital city’s newspaper of record, the Tallahassee Democrat. He also recently launched Hammerhead Communications, a firm focused on integrating strategic communications, public affairs, crisis management, and advocacy efforts in an increasingly fast-moving and interconnected media environment.
Foster’s 30-year journalism career reflects the arc of the classic American success story; one that starts with humble beginnings and continues to rise through hard work and insight. His 30 years in the business started as an entry-level sports reporter in Hickory, N.C. He moved quickly into a management position becoming an editor and eventually a publisher, first in Shelby, N.C. He moved to Ft. Walton Beach where he was named publisher of the Northwest Florida Daily News as well as four weeklies. From there, he was promoted to become the tenth publisher in the history of the Tallahassee Democrat in 2015; a position in which he served for five years.
During his tenure at the Democrat he became immersed in not only local news, but statewide and even national issues that originated in the state’s capital. Under Foster’s direction the Democrat broke and covered some of the most important political news in Florida, including corruption scandals that reshaped the political landscape of North Florida.
Foster succeeded on the business side as well, driving revenue and EBITDA growth and leading his staff to top performance within Gannett. In 2017 Foster was named Leader of the Year for the entire Gannett company.
This three-decade arc of experience has given Foster unparalleled insight into how news is gathered and presented in Florida. His connections to media outlets throughout the state give his clients an advantage not experienced with other communications firms. This critical difference allows Skip to shape messages in a way that uniquely benefits his clients and plays an important role in achieving the clients’ ultimate goals. And Foster’s management experience as the CEO of a 100-plus employee operation means he can speak fluently with CEOs, marketing leaders and others who need counsel and advice.
We ask members to PLEASE RSVP as soon as you can and NO LATER THAN Monday, June 15th which allows us to plan for seating and service at the event.
Guest fee for this program is $35. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience so we may provide an accurate headcount for food and beverage.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, June 18th!
Looking Ahead:
Save-the-Date – Tuesday, August 11 – CD2 Democratic Primary Candidate Debate
As always, thank you for supporting the Club and helping continue Capital Tiger Bay’s longstanding tradition of lively, substantive, and nonpartisan civic dialogue.
Become a Capital Tiger Bay Club Member
Click Here: Capital Tiger Bay Membership Application