Momentum is proud to announce that Dina Weinstein has won third place honors at the 2011 Florida Society of Professional Journalists Sunshine State Awards. She won in the social policy reporting category for her article about cycling in the city of Miami. The article appeared in the September/ October 2010 issue of Momentum.

The 2011 Florida Society of Professional Journalists Sunshine State Awards celebration was held June 11, 2011 in Hollywood, FL.

“The best part was just being in the same room with journalists, as I work alone as a freelancer,” said Weinstein. “It just made me want to work harder at writing to write more and submit more for next year. I don't think that my win has increased awareness about social policy surrounding cycling. But I do intend to keep writing about it.”

Weinstein explained that she wrote the article at the same time as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. She said, “It made me feel less helpless about that catastrophe, writing an article focusing on transportation alternatives and what people are doing here to improve that infrastructure.”

Weinstein explained some of the challenges she faced while researching the article. “It was hard to pin down people and facts sometimes,” said Weinstein. “I felt bummed that I didn't find any gung-ho parent advocates. We seem to be rarities as far as parent/student cyclists, though many families express their yearning to bike like us. Safety is a big issue.”

On the future of cycling social policy in Miami Weinstein said, “It's usually assumed that people travel by car. I'd like to see a commitment to transportation with dignity for all forms for all the well-known health, environmental, economical and safety reasons.”

You can read Dina Weinstein’s article here.