Anne Lindberg

Deborah Anne Lindberg, a journalist and lawyer whose love for animals defined much of her private life, died Tuesday, June 18, 2024 after a long illness. She was 71.

One of her recent lighthearted Facebook posts suggested her affection: “A child costs $20,000 a year, while a cat costs $1,400 a year. That means you can have one child or 14 more cats.”

Ms. Lindberg, who preferred to be called Anne, nearly pursued a career in veterinary medicine. But she said the challenges and nuances of law and journalism proved too tempting.

“I love reporting,” she often said. One of her favorite comments came from journalist and early civil rights leader Ida B. Wells: “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

Beginning in 1992, Anne worked 23 years for the Tampa Bay Times, covering education and the cities of Pinellas Park and Kenneth City. After her Times career, she was the editor and lead writer for Tampa Bay Reporter, a digital news site, where she also mentored younger journalists. She served for a year as communications and marketing manager for the city of Pinellas Park. She wrote freelance articles for the Center for Popular Democracy, a social justice organization.

A casual dresser in the buttoned-down Times newsroom, Anne did not take a casual approach to chasing news. Former colleague Debbie Wolfe recalls:

“She obtained a collection of electronic data from a Tampa Bay municipality one time that had an ‘odd field of numbers’ that at first defied labeling. Related data showed frequency along with dates and times for phone calls made on city-issued cell phones back in the day when monthly charges were not cheap.

“We poured fresh cups of coffee in the technology training classroom and pondered for a while. Then I said what if these are keyed in credit card numbers including pass code information? Bingo! She was on it, and she calculated how much time and expense was being spent using phones paid for by tax-payer monies.”

Said Jim Verhulst, who was one of Anne’s newsroom bosses: “They don’t make journalists like Anne anymore.”

Anne brought the same energy to her law work, working in defense of women’s rights, especially for victims of assault.

Anne was born in July 1952 in Charleston, S.C. She received her college degrees from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. In her youth, she was an equestrian, winning honors in the art of dressage, and she earned a private pilot’s license for single-engine airplanes.

Anne was predeceased by her mother, Deloris Naylor Lindberg, in 1998. No other family members are known. Anne’s two cats, Eri and Squeak, survive her.

A memorial service to be arranged by Taylor Funeral Home in Pinellas Park is pending.