Heather Leigh

News Anchor & Reporter

Heather Leigh began her career in news in 2009 when she did two internships at a station in Tampa, Florida, followed up by an internship in Jacksonville, Florida. That's where she developed her passion for reporting and her understanding of how a newsroom works.

In 2012, after graduating from the University of South Florida, Heather landed her first job in the midwest town of Sioux City, Iowa, at Siouxland News. She spent two years there reporting and anchoring the morning news. She often filled in on the evening news desk. But Heather missed her sunny roots and decided a move back to Florida would be a great next step in her career. She was able to get her second job at the same station in Jacksonville where she did her internship. Channel 4, the local station!

Once in Jacksonville, Heather's reporting skills elevated. She was quickly becoming a go-to reporter for breaking news and big stories of the day. Heather also honed her live capabilities there. Heather won her first Emmy for a story she did about police shootings called "Shoot, don't shoot." She also won an AP award for best Multimedia Journalist in a medium size market. A multi-media journalist is one who can shoot, edit, write, and also appear on TV.

After 3 years in Jacksonville, Heather had her sights on Tampa. Heather grew up in Palm Harbor and spent most of her life in Tampa (before getting into TV) and wanted to be close to family. Heather's parents still live in Palm Harbor, and her brother lives in Tampa.

She started her work in Tampa at WFTS - ABC Action News in the Spring of 2017. She worked her way up from weekend reporting to Monday through Friday reporting. She has won 2 Emmy awards for her work on stories regarding the failures of the states unemployment system during COVID-19. She also won an AP award for best Multi-media journalist in a large market and another AP award for her work on the unemployment system. While reporting, Heather also began filling in as a traffic anchor for the morning show. She quickly learned how to perform the duties and stepped into a role she had never done before.

In 2022, Heather transitioned into the weekend morning anchor for Good Morning Tampa, Bay. She now reports three mornings out of the week while also filling in as the traffic anchor when needed.

Heather is an avid animal lover! She has two dogs, (Moxie and Mr. Waffles) and two cats (Salem and Addie) and loves to chat about them! If you see her around, please say hello!

Recent Articles by Heather Leigh:

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