Julia Hazel joined the Bay News 9 team as the Manatee County Bureau Reporter in September 2022.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Julia graduated from Kent State University, with a degree in Applied Communication and a minor in Public Relations. While at Kent State, Julia was employed by the university as a multimedia journalist for the award-winning TV2 news station. Julia captured stories locally in Portage County and the Cleveland and Akron areas.

Before returning to broadcast news in Erie, PA, Julia worked in medical sales covering the greater New York City, Alexandria, VA, and Cleveland, OH territories. During this experience, Julia realized how much she missed TV News and the feeling of serving her community as a trusted source of news. She decided to get back into news, joining the team at WJET-24 in Erie as a multimedia journalist.

Now, Julia is thrilled to trade Lake Erie's wind chill and ice dunes for the warm Tampa Bay weather! Regarding the weather, Julia arrived at Bay News 9 just in time for Hurricane Ian and was honored to bring the viewers live reports from Manatee County and the aftermath of the flooding in Orlando.

Julia looks forward to becoming immersed in Manatee County to help residents share their stories. When she is not reporting, Julia enjoys spending time with her family, who also reside in Manatee County. She is also looking forward to exploring the beaches and parks, and catching a few Lightning games this season.

You can find Julia on Instagram @Julia_Hazel, Twitter @Julia_HazelTV, and Facebook as Julia Hazel-Bay News 9.