Skip to content
Roger Simmons Roger Simmons

Birds, Words, Pics + TV

  • Home
  • All Posts
    • Orlando Wetlands
    • Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
    • Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
    • Joe Overstreet Road
    • UCF Arboretum
    • Fort DeSoto Park
  • My Bird Catalog
    • All Birds Catalog
    • American Flamingos
    • Bald Eagles
    • Barred Owls
    • Belted Kingfishers
    • Black-and-White Warblers
    • Eastern Bluebirds
    • Florida Scrub-Jays
    • Green Herons
    • Little Blue Herons
    • Northern Parulas
    • Ospreys
    • Reddish Egrets
    • Red-Shouldered Hawks
    • Roseate Spoonbills
    • Sandhill Cranes
    • Whooping Crane
  • Orlando TV News/History
    • Orlando TV Schedules
    • Florida TV History
  • About this Site
Roger Simmons
Roger Simmons

Birds, Words, Pics + TV

Former Fox 35 meteorologist Jim Van Fleet forecasting weather for Royal Caribbean cruises

Roger Simmons, June 15, 2017

Former Fox 35 morning meteorologist Jim Van Fleet has a new gig on the high seas. He’s Royal Caribbean International’s chief meteorologist – the cruise industry’s first such position.

“It’s the most fired up I’ve been about a job in a long time,” Van Fleet says in a video posted on the Royal Caribbean corporate website. “There are no two days that are the same, and I think that’s helps what keeps you going, that engagement and passion for the job because you know there’s another challenge around the corner.”

After working for 10 years at Fox 35, Van Fleet left in 2011 to become chief meteorologist at WTSP-CBS 10 in St. Petersburg. But his contract was not renewed last fall , which resulted in a messy break-up with the station that included a lawsuit he filed. But it appears to be smooth sailing now in his new gig.

Van Fleet keeps track of all of Royal Caribbean’s ships and the nearby weather. The cruise line says Van Fleet’s broadcasting background allows him to take technical weather information and translate it and explain it to people who aren’t weather experts, including corporate executives, captains, crew members and even passengers.

“Even when you have beautiful weather in Miami or the Bahamas … there’s something going on somewhere, whether it’s Australia, the Tasman Sea, South America, the Mediterranean – there’s something somewhere,” he says.

Keeping his eye on the weather across the planet can be daunting, but it’s also something Van Fleet thinks can help improve forecasting.

“There’s a lot of the oceans that just meteorology in general is not very good at. So not only do I have a chance to use my expertise in the short term forecast, but now I think Royal has a chance to take marine forecasting where nobody’s even tried to take it before,” he says.

Share on Social Media
x facebook reddit email
Orlando TV Weather WOFL-35 WOFL-35

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

6 fights subpoena, plus other stuff

January 24, 2007

Attorneys for Local 6 filed a motion on Monday to quash a subpoena seeking the Doug Guetzloe files from Problem Solvers reporter Tony Pipitone. WKMG GM Henry Maldonado said the station is fighting the subpoena to "protect our right to investigate." More from the Orlando Sentinel … >> Southeast Polk…

Read More

McEwen Recovering, Visits Co-Workers

March 10, 2006

Local 6 morning and noon anchor Mark McEwen, still recovering from a November stroke, stopped by the WKMG studios on Wednesday to visit with his co-workers. He said he was eager to get back to work, and that doctors have told him he will soon be able to return to…

Read More
Orlando TV

WKCF-CW 18 named CW’s top affiliate

May 25, 2010

What’s the station the CW Network wishes all of its affiliates would be like? Well, just turn on Orlando’s WKCF-CW 18 and find out. The station announced Thursday that it received the APEX Award from The CW for being the network’s “Model Affiliate of the Year.” According to the press release, “The…

Read More

Latest Posts

  • Spending a magical morning at Orlando Wetlands
  • Finding some very colorful characters at Lake Apopka
  • Story of Merritt Island flamingos still being written
  • You never know what you’ll see at Orlando Wetlands
  • Reddish Egret puts on a sunset show

Top Locations

Orlando Wetlands

Posts about visits to Orlando Wetlands


UCF Arboretum

Posts about visits to UCF Arboretum


Merritt Island

Posts about visits to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge


Lake Apopka

Posts about visits to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive


Fort DeSoto

Posts about visits to Fort DeSoto Park


Galleries

Roger's Favorites

An ever-changing collection of my favorite pictures


American Flamingos

Photos of American Flamingos in Indian River


Belted Kingfishers

Photos of Belted Kingfishers across Central Florida.


Oystercatchers

Pictures of American Oystercatchers at Fort DeSoto Park


Spoonbills

Pictures of Roseate Spoonbills in Central Florida


Whooping Crane

Pictures of one of the last Whooping Cranes in Florida


MORE GALLERIES


Topics

American Flamingo American Kestrel Anhinga Bald Eagles Barn Swallow Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Black-and-White Warbler Black-Crowned Night-Heron Caspian Tern Common Gallinule Common Yellowthroat Digital TV Eastern Bluebird Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Limpkin Little Blue Heron Loggerhead SHrike Northern Cardinal Northern Parula Orlando Wetlands Park Osprey Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-shouldered Hawk Red-Winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Roseate Spoonbills Sandhill Crane Savannah Sparrow Snowy Egret Tricolored Heron Tufted Titmouse WESH-2 WFTV-9 White Ibis WKCF-18 WKMG-6 WMFE-24 WOFL-35 Wood Stork WRDQ-27

©2025 Roger Simmons | All Rights Reserved