Consumer
Al Sunshine
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Al Sunshine has been reporting for CBS4 since 1988. He is best known for his "Shame On You" series which exposes businesses, agencies and individuals defrauding or deceiving consumers, as well as endangering the safety and welfare of the general public.
Many of Al's special investigative/consumer reports have prompted responses from government agencies resulting in significant regulatory changes. Among these are a railing safety investigative report which revealed that an alarming number of balcony railings were corroding and resulted in statewide railing safety regulations in 1989; school bus safety report resulting in the Florida School Bus Safety Law of 1990; discount club scam report which prompted consumer protection regulations in Dade and Broward and the Florida Vehicle Protection Act of 1993; and Al's reports on the quality of drinking water have resulted in better detection and control of cancer-producing chemicals which were found above federally-approved levels in the water of several local municipalities.
In 1994, Al investigated car leasing scams, and showed it to the Florida Senate. He also testified before the group leading to new consumer protection regulations for the car leasing industry.
Prior to joining WFOR, Al worked for the Cable News Network as the Miami Bureau news manager, acting bureau chief and correspondent, where he covered the Challenger disaster and traveled extensively around Latin America. He also worked at WTVJ in Miami as a general assignment reporter and at the Communications Department of the Dade County Manager's office.
Sunshine has received numerous honors for his reporting, including the Miami Police Department Accuracy and Fairness Award (1976), the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers Media Award (1991) and the Dade County Trial Lawyers Association Award (1992). Sunshine has also received the Florida Public Health Association award; National Association of Consumer Agency award, Administrators 1st place Television Award in 1994, and the 1995 Consumer Champion Award from the Florida Consumer Action Network. He received an Emmy Award for a "Shame On You" report on illegal police parking and a second Emmy for exposing fraud in auto insurance. Hewas also inducted into Iron Arrow, the University of Miami's prestigious honor society. In addition to his other Emmy nominations, Al recently received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' distinguished Silver Circle award, signifying 25 years of superior reporting in South Florida.
Al's consumer reporting is also syndicated in more than a dozen of Miami's Community Newspapers. He also writes a weekly column for The Miami Herald.
Al is a graduate of the University of Miami where he received the Outstanding Journalism Graduate Sigma Delta Chi Award. He is married to Deborah, a special education teacher at Palmetto Elementary. They have two daughters, Melissa, a youth services librarian in Palm Beach Gardens, and Stephanie, a student at FSU. A native of Chicago, Sunshine and his family reside in South Dade.