In a year marked by high-profile departures from Jacksonville’s TV news airwaves, another broadcast legend is set to exit the evening news.
Tim Deegan, chief meteorologist at First Coast News, announced Friday that he plans to retire after 42 years at Jacksonville’s NBC and ABC affiliate.
Deegan’s departure, however, is months away. His last day on-air will be May 30, 2025, First Coast News reported, allowing the longtime meteorologist to assist in the search for his successor.
“For generations, Tim has been a trusted voice for First Coast families, known for his precision in forecasting major storms as well as daily weather,” said First Coast News president and general manager Tim Thomas. “I’m grateful for Tim’s many years of dedicated service to our station. His expertise and experience will be invaluable in helping to select the next Chief Meteorologist, ensuring First Coast News continues delivering the most accurate forecasts.”
The news of Deegan’s planned retirement comes six months after News4Jax anchor Tom Wills retired after nearly 50 years at the independent station and three months after Action News Jax anchor John Bachman left the city’s CBS and FOX affiliate after 10 years.
“I have always taken my forecasting seriously,” said Deegan, who celebrated his 65th birthday a week ago. “Friends have joked that sometimes I take it ‘too seriously,’ but weather forecasts often play a big role in critical decisions. My forecasts help our viewers schedule everything from weddings to games to marathons. Every forecast, every day, they all matter to me.”
Deegan, also an avid surfer, is married to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, herself a former news anchor at First Coast News who left the station 12 years ago after 24 years there. Donna Deegan was elected the city’s first female mayor in May 2023.
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Deegan’s four decades at First Coast News is the longest for any on-air personality there. When he retires, anchor Jeannie Blaylock will take on that mantle. Blaylock started at the station in 1985, three years after Deegan.
But Deegan isn’t Jacksonville’s longest-serving TV meteorologist. That distinction belongs to George Winterling, who spent 47 years at News4Jax before retiring in 2009 at age 77. (Winterling died in June 2023 at age 91.)
Before joining First Coast News, Deegan worked at Texas stations KRIS in Corpus Christi and KBTX in Bryan. He’s a graduate of Texas A&M University and a certified member of the American Meteorological Society.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tim Deegan announces retirement from Jacksonville’s First Coast News
