Robert Speta joined the First Coast News Weather team in October 2020.
He was born and raised outside Buffalo, New York before joining the US Navy in 2005 as a Naval Weather Forecaster (Aerographers Mate) His first station was right here in Jacksonville at Naval Station Mayport, so he knows who the weather plays a vital role for all our local military activities.
In 2009, Robert was transferred to Japan aboard the USS Blue Ridge where he traveled and forecasted in numerous countries across East Asia and the South Pacific. He was awarded multiple Naval Achievement medals during this time aboard the ship, including for his support during the recovery efforts after the March 11th Japan Tsunami.
Not to mention, he is one of the few American meteorologists today who can say they have plotted and forecasted radiation fallout in an active operational scenario.
In 2012, he made his switch to broadcast television, where he worked for NHKWORLD, Japan’s largest TV Station. There he covered weather events all over the world, including reporting and filming on active volcanoes to inside Super Typhoons. During this time Robert also freelanced for various stations during severe weather events across East Asia including CNN, The Weather Channel, and the Science Channel.
Robert returned to the United States in 2017 and joined the WHEC weather team in Rochester, New York where he won an Emmy for Best Evening Newscast where he reported live from the flash flood devastated town of Lodi in Upstate New York.
In 2019, Robert returned to Jacksonville to work as an Aviation forecaster for the US Navy, which he still does as well as working at First Coast News.
Robert also consults for international shipping and agricultural companies, primarily in East Asia, thus posts on his social media will range from local to conditions all over the world.
During his free time, you may find him out on local mountain bike trails here on the First Coast or flying his drone out at the beach.