Dan Shaffer

TAMPA - 2012 marks Dan Shaffer's 20th year in television.  We're proud to say he has spent the past sixteen of those with us at ABC Action News. Dan joined the Action News team in 1996 as a reporter and meteorologist. In that time he covered every corner of west central Florida, He specialized in reporting on the environment and the weather, covering just about everything Mother Nature can throw at us - droughts, floods, fires, freezes, sinkholes, tornadoes and hurricanes. In 2002, his special series of reports, "Drought Survivor," earned a first-place award from the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2003, Dan moved to the morning and noon anchor desk and has been a part of the Emmy Award-winning team that's covered some of the biggest breaking news stories of the past few years.

A former cast member at Walt Disney World, Dan is a Florida native, born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale. He likes to put a little of his character into every newscast. "Sometimes," he admits, "that means an occasional bad pun. But if I can make someone smile at that hour of the day, it's worth it."

Dan began his broadcast career in radio in 1985 after graduating from the University of Central Florida. His first television job was in Orlando as meteorologist and co-anchor of the morning and noon news. He's been recognized for his volunteer work with schools, where he talks to kids about weather and careers in television.

Dan and his wife have three children and live in Carrollwood. Their oldest son attends the University of Florida. They have another son in high school and a daughter in middle school. They like to spend time out on the lake, at the beach, and at the theme parks. You can follow Dan on Twitter at @DanShaffer28 and on Facebook