Hi, I'm Jeff Weiner, Orange County courts reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. I cover criminal trials and lawsuits in Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit, as well as the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, the Orange-Osceola Office of the Public Defender and the ongoing developments of the Casey Anthony saga.

I was born in Patchogue, a small village on the south shore of Long Island, in Suffolk County, N.Y. I was raised in Bradenton, Fla., graduating from Lakewood Ranch High School, and later attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where I studied journalism.

While a student, I completed internships at the Naples Daily News, Central Florida Lifestyle and the Orlando Sentinel, before graduating in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

I was hired by the Orlando Sentinel in July 2010 as a breaking news reporter, and was awarded the James Batten Award for Distinguished Public Service by the Society of Professional Journalists in June 2011.

My fanatical devotion to the NFL's New York Jets prevents me from having meaningful relationships. I also like baseball, but so far that's not as much of a problem.

I'm an amateur classic rock aficionado, a movie nerd, a fantasy-football lover and a political junkie with no strong political leanings.

Though I watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart regularly, I get my news from OrlandoSentinel.com and the wonderful family of Tribune Company websites and newspapers (I'm a company man).