FOX 35 Orlando, WOFL-TV

We cover a lot of weather stories in Florida: hot and humid days, showers and thunderstorms, lightning, rip currents, and hurricanes. This week, FOX 35 meteorologist Brooks Garner led the FOX 35 team -- and our Central Florida viewers -- through an unusual morning severe weather threat, as an EF-2 tornado crossed over our TV station in Lake Mary, Florida while live on the air. We're grateful to Brooks for leading us through it professionally and calmly.

This one was a wild experience to say the least. The first EF 2 tornado in Florida and it hits our TV Station. Thank you to the amazing Meteorologists and Weather team for keeping us informed and safe before, during and after tornado touched down. I am honored to work with such talented group of people that -literally- saved lives. Thank you! FOX 35 Orlando, WOFL-TV

Congratulations to Jason Volpe on his promotion to broadcast maintenance engineer at FOX 35 Orlando, WOFL-TV! Jason joined FOX 35 in 2014 as a production technician and has risen through the ranks to newscast director, leading our morning newscasts from the control room. Jason?consistently demonstrates exceptional technical skills, dedication, and leadership. Congratulations, Jason, on the new role!

Congratulations to Zac Prudhomme on his promotion to Assistant News Director at FOX 35 Orlando! Zac joined FOX 35 as an executive producer in 2020, leading our nightside teams. In 2023, he became the executive producer of special projects, overseeing investigative and feature stories. He also hosted and produced some of his own specials highlighting some of Central Florida's attractions. At his core, Zac is a compassionate and driven leader who thrives on helping, teaching, and mentoring producers and reporters, whether they're new or seasoned. We're thrilled to see Zac is this new leadership role!

Congratulations to Rachel Linden on her promotion to Managing Editor at FOX 35 Orlando! Rachel joined FOX 35 as a producer in 2019, and has worked nearly every shift in the newsroom. She has a nose for breaking news, producing under pressure, and most importantly, mentoring and inspiring others. Rachel was quickly promoted to an Executive Producer, leading our dayside teams for the last year. She teaches passionately, produces aggressively, and encourages compassionately. Most importantly, she cares about the stories and issues impacting Central Florida. Join us in congratulating Rachel on her new role!

Another University of Central Florida alum joins the news team at FOX 35 Orlando! Welcome, Madelyn Dickinson! Madelyn joined FOX 35 recently as a digital streaming and broadcast associate producer, a multi-skilled journalist working on FOX 35 News+ and Florida Live, while also assisting with producing content for our TV newscasts! We're so excited to have you on our team and helping to keep Central Floridians informed!

Welcome home, Carlos Eduardo Materon Botelho! ?? Carlos recently joined FOX 35 Orlando as a digital marketing producer. He joins us from Des Moines, Iowa, where he worked in the marketing department at a TV station there. He graduated from Iowa State University and is pursuing his Master's at Full Sail. This is a homecoming for Carlos, as his family lives in the Sunshine State! So excited to have you on the FOX 35 team!

From breaking news in Central Florida to theme parks announcements to major trial coverage, Garrett Wymer is leading our digital audiences through it all! Garrett anchors FOX 35 News+ and Florida Live weekdays on FOX Local and FOX35Orlando.com, providing three hours of in-the-moment news coverage from across the state on the big issues: political news, rocket launches, trial coverage, hurricane prep. He talks with politicians, experts, professors, and FOX 35 reporters to provide in-depth context and clarity on the local and national events impacting our communities. Garrett joined the team in April 2024 -- and we're so happy to have him here in Florida! Download the free FOX Local app on your TV and mobile phone to catch Garrett's show weekdays at 11AM, 2PM, and 4PM: https://lnkd.in/ew66fdNm.

Huge congratulations to Abigail Lafferty on her recent promotion to digital content producer at FOX 35 Orlando! Abigail joined FOX 35 in March 2024 as a news and digital associate producer, helping launch several of our LIVE digital streaming shows, as well as launching her own segment, "Central Florida Spotlight." As a digital content producer, Abigail writes and produces news and content for FOX 35's FOX Local app, FOX35Orlando.com, and our social channels. She graduated from UCF in 2023.

WELCOME HOME! ?? We're thrilled to welcome Chancelor Winn to FOX 35 Orlando, WOFL-TV as our newest reporter! He was most recently reporting in Cincinnati, but is a Floridian at heart. He grew up and went to school in the Sunshine State! Welcome to the team, Chancelor!