Author

Diane Egner

Diane Egner is a community leader and award-winning journalist with more than four decades of experience reporting and writing about the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. She serves on the boards of the University of South Florida Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications Advisory Council, The Institute for Research in Art (Graphicstudio, the Contemporary Art Museum, and USF’s Public Art Program) Community Advisory Council, Sing Out and Read, and StageWorks Theatre Advisory Council. She also is a member of Leadership Florida and the Athena Society. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a BA in journalism, she won the top statewide award for editorial writing from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors while at The Tampa Tribune and received special recognition by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists for creative work as Content Director at WUSF Public Media. Past accomplishments and community service include leadership positions with Tampa Tiger Bay Club, USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP), Alpha House of Tampa Bay, Awesome Tampa Bay, Florida Kinship Center, AIA Tampa Bay, Powerstories, Arts Council of Hillsborough County, and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Diane and her husband, Sandy Rief, live in Tampa.

Diane Egner's Latest Articles

Photos: Craft’s History & Cigar Cruise celebrates Ybor’s 140th anniversary

By Diane Egner

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General

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April 15, 2026

Photos from Craft's History & Cigar Cruise celebrating Ybor City's 140th anniversary.

The KC-135 Stratotanker at MacDill Air Force Base has provided the core aerial refueling capability for U.S. military operations for almost 70 years. One tanker can hold 30,000 gallons of fuel.

Photo story: Inside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa

By Diane Egner

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Connections

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May 21, 2024

Tampa Bay Area residents see military airplanes fly overhead almost daily, but few get a chance to visit MacDill Air Force Base. You can take a peek inside by scrolling through a few images taken on a recent tour.

The living plant collection at Selby Gardens contains the world’s highest percentage of plant species fully documented since their origin on Earth.

Photo story: Visiting Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in downtown Sarasota

By Diane Egner

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General

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May 7, 2024

What's new at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens? The Green Orchid eatery, vertical gardens, plant research labs, a gift shop and a solar array that will make Selby Gardens the first net-positive energy botanical garden in the world.

Tugboats helped maneuver ship traffic through Tampa Bay and surrounding waters.

Masthead gallery: Touring Port Tampa Bay

By Diane Egner

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Agriculture

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April 16, 2024

The eclectic work-play environment of Port Tampa Bay includes gantry cranes, cruise ships and ferries, and a variety of boats designed for different purposes, some more obvious than others. Curious to learn more? Scroll through this photo gallery of images taken during a recent visit.

The new exhibit explores 50 years of Feld Entertainment’s transformation of the circus experience.

Photo story: The Greatest Show on Earth® at The Ringling in Sarasota

By Diane Egner

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General

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April 9, 2024

Thanks to generous philanthropic donors and driven by a mission to inspire, educate and entertain, The Ringling in Sarasota opens its latest exhibit on the emergence of the modern circus.

A few of the Black women featured in new exhibit at the Tampa Bay History Center.

How to get free tickets to Tampa Bay History Center

By Diane Egner

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General

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July 6, 2023

In an ongoing communications and media partnership, 83 Degrees and the Tampa Bay History Center are teaming up to give away tickets to 50 lucky readers.

History Professor Michael Francis, Chair of Florida Studies at the University of South Florida, presents “Florida Conversations: Lost Voices From St. Augustine’s Parish Archive, 1594-1821.’’

Florida Conversations: USF historian researches, shares early history of Spanish explorers

By Diane Egner

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General

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March 28, 2023

Did you know that Spanish explorers landed in Florida in the early 1500s, long before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock? Read more about a Florida Conversation.

Appeal to support local solutions journalism in 83 Degrees

By Diane Egner

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Connections

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December 14, 2022

As we look forward to the opportunities that await in 2023, 83 Degrees Media asks readers to support local journalism that helps you get to know talented people and innovative ideas driving change in the Tampa Bay Area.

Masthead images: Florida Conversation with Richard Gonzmart, Columbia Restaurant

By Diane Egner

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Architecture

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November 29, 2022

Entrance to pirates exhibit at Tampa Bay History Center.

Free tickets to Tampa Bay History Center

By Diane Egner

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General

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November 22, 2022

Looking for a special gift for a friend or loved one during the holidays? Check out this free ticket giveaway made possible through an underwriting partnership between 83 Degrees and the Tampa Bay History Center.