Florida icon and Pulitzer Prize winner Lucy Morgan has died

Lucy Morgan, an icon in Florida politics and American journalism, has died.

She was a Pulitzer Prize winner and chief of the St. Petersburg (now Tampa Bay) Times capital bureau in Tallahassee for 20 years, retiring in 2006 and serving as senior correspondent until 2013.

She was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame and the Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame. The Florida Senate named its press gallery after Morgan, in honor of her two decades covering the Florida Legislature.

After her retirement from the Tampa Bay Times, she regularly wrote columns for the Florida Phoenix, elaborating on the old Florida and expressing frustration about the state’s legislative gridlock and growing toxic politics.

She knew every major player in the state capital, from governors and Cabinet members to lawmakers and lobbyists, and she also trained budding young journalists to continue her legacy — many of whom went on to work for top national publications.

She lived in Tallahassee with her husband, Richard Morgan, also a retired longtime journalist.

The Phoenix will follow up with more details.