Former Graham Media Reporter Cashes In

It’s no secret that TV news staffers leave the broadcast grind for cushy Public Information Officer (PIO) gigs all the time. Better hours, fewer weekend shifts, and usually a bump in pay.

Former WKMG (Orlando) traffic anchor Steve Montiero—known on-air as "Trooper Steve"—just made the jump from TV news to government PR. But his new taxpayer-funded paycheck is raising plenty of eyebrows across Central Florida.

Montiero was hired as the new Public Information Director for the City of Apopka, pulling in a cool $180,000 annual salary.

That figure makes him the highest-paid employee on the city's administrative team. In fact, Montiero will be making nearly $50,000 more than Apopka’s own mayor, Nick Nesta, who earns $133,350.

The salary is drawing heavy criticism when compared to much larger jurisdictions nearby. Apopka has a population of around 66,000 residents, yet its top communications director for Orange County—a region serving 1.4 million people—makes roughly $166,000. Meanwhile, senior PIOs in neighboring Orlando, a city of over 330,000 residents, top out around $124,000.

Needless to say, local residents and city insiders aren't entirely thrilled with the eye-popping figure being handed to a former local TV personality for a mid-sized town PR role.

Leaving TV news for the PR side is standard practice in this industry, but landing a small-town spokesperson gig that pays far more than major metro comms directors and your own mayor? That’s one traffic report that turned into a massive green light for Trooper Steve.