Anchor Kellie Burns to retire from Gulf Coast News after 31 years in June

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Anchor Kellie Burns will retire from Gulf Coast News in June, ending a career that has spanned more than three decades at the station and made her one of Southwest Florida’s most familiar and trusted journalists.

Kellie joined the station in 1994 as a reporter before rising to the primary evening anchor role.

Over the years, she has helped guide viewers through some of Southwest Florida's most difficult and defining moments, including hurricanes Charley, Irma, Ian, Helene and Milton.

She also reported on major events, including the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 2000 and 2016 Republican National Conventions, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the lifting of the embargo against Cuba.

Her career has also brought major recognition. Kellie was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Suncoast Silver Circle in 2024 and was named the 2026 Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists Legacy Award honoree.

She has also been a part of Florida's best anchor team and has earned more than a dozen Emmy and Murrow awards.

Kellie has also been recognized for her work with nonprofits and for helping raise more than $400 million for charity over the past three decades.

“Kellie Burns didn’t just deliver the news; she built trust with generations of viewers,” Gulf Coast News President and General Manager Darrel Lieze-Adams said. “Her leadership, professionalism, and deep connection to this community have had a lasting impact. We are grateful for her extraordinary contributions and wish her the very best in this next chapter.”

Kellie and her husband raised their children in Southwest Florida, and she plans to remain in the area and continue supporting local nonprofits after retirement from anchoring the news.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this community and to be welcomed into viewers’ homes for so many years,” Kellie said. “The Gulf Coast is my home, and I am deeply grateful for the trust, support, and relationships built along the way.”

Kellie's last day on the air at Gulf Coast News will be on Thursday, June 4. The station will honor Kellie's career that day with a special, “Celebrating Kellie Burns,” airing at 8 p.m.

You can share your congratulatory remarks with Kellie over the next month using this form.

She will leave behind a legacy shaped by steady leadership, trusted journalism and a long commitment to the community she has served for decades.

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