For 44 years, Michael Williams has been a trusted voice in South Florida news. But beyond the anchor desk, his heart has always been a little wild.
"Growing up, I loved to be outdoors. It came naturally to me from my earliest days," Williams said.
WATCH BELOW: Passion for environment has always been part of Michael Williams' career
That passion turned into purpose — telling stories about our planet.
"Over the years, I had the opportunity to do a lot of environmental stories — many overseas," Williams said. "But the Everglades, that became a place for me where, when I'm there, I feel like I’m telling a story bigger than any one person or moment."
From the Everglades to the Galapagos Islands, Williams' reporting took him across the globe. He wasn't just covering nature, he was helping people understand why it matters.
"I remember one moment in the Galapagos, you’re standing there with these incredible turtles, and it makes you feel at once large and small," Williams said. "We are part of this place we call Earth. It gave me a sense of both grandeur and humility about our place in all of it."
Countless colleagues remember the adventures alongside Michael.
Through hurricanes and tornadoes, together they had a front row seat for mother nature's fury.
His family is who Williams does it all for. For him, protecting the environment isn't just a job, it's personal.
"I really think about the fact that when I'm old and grayer, my kids and grandkids might ask, 'Dad, what did you do to make sure we have clean water to drink?'" Williams said. "It's generational, and as a dad and a granddad, I think about that a lot."
And as he steps away from the anchor desk, his work is far from over.
"I have conservation work I'm going to do, some advocacy. Preserving all of this for all of us," Williams said.
He is a storyteller, conservationist, and, above all, someone who will never stop exploring.
WILLIAMS' CAREER IN MIAMI SPANNED NEARLY 2 DECADES
Before Williams became a trusted face in South Florida news, he was a kid with a love for current events. It's something his father, a wing commander in Key West, picked up on early.
"I grew up keeping up with the news," Williams said. "My dad would say, 'Mike knows about the Middle East,' and sure enough, I did. I guess I always knew I was gonna be a journalist."
WATCH BELOW: Michael Williams' career in Miami included covering everything from Hurricane Andrew to Cuba and Haiti
That dream became reality. After a few years working in smaller cities, on May 21, 1984, he got his big break, landing a job at WSVN in Miami.
"I was 25, they put me on nightside and said, 'Sink or swim,'" Williams recalls.
He rode the wave, covering everything from Miami's booming development to the collapse of Eastern Airlines in 1989.
"Eastern Airlines felt like my coming of age in journalism," Williams said. "I had covered a lot, but that story, that was mine. I was on the beat, morning, noon and night."
While working at WSVN, Michael met his future wife, Leisa, a television news producer at the station.
"We met, I began flirting with her and I was too scared to ask her out," Williams said. "(Finally) we went out. We were married a year plus later. We've raised three wonderful daughters."
Lindsay, Erin and Ali all grew up watching their dad — a Miami newsman — hone his craft.
One of Williams' colleagues along for the ride was former NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders.
"I still remember shooting your wedding and learning to white balance and focus at the same time," Sanders said. "It was great working with you. ... Congrats on retirement."
Williams would go on to work for three stations in the Miami market. During that time, he developed a lifetime of friendships that went beyond what he could have ever imagined.
"Michael Williams, you are free! I remember 300 years ago," WSVN anchor Lynn Martinez joked. "You were so cool — everyone loved you. You're a gem. Good luck in this next chapter!"
"Michael, I never miss an opportunity to thank you for your kindness," WSVN anchor Craig Stevens said. "That's who you are — an extraordinary human, a first-rate guy. Congrats!"
NEW CHAPTER AT NBC NEWS IN WASHINGTON
For Williams, the call to network news was always in the back of his mind.
"(NBC) News Channel was a pivot point," Williams said. "I'd always wanted to work for the network."
WATCH BELOW: Michael Williams looks back on career with NBC News, covering 9/11
That moment came in the wake of one of the darkest days in American history — 9/11.
Williams was covering the tragedy for WTVJ in Miami when NBC tapped him to report for the national affiliates.
"From that searing coverage, I was invited to cover the Winter Olympics," Williams said. "Then they said, 'Would you like to come to the Washington bureau?'"
He said his first day on the job was a trial by fire.
"I walked in the door, and they said, 'Hi, you'll be live at the White House in about four hours,'" Williams recalled.
Washington gave Michael a front-row seat to history. From 2002-2004 he covered the build-up to the war in Iraq as well as the Columbia space shuttle tragedy.
His beat also included Capitol Hill and the White House.
But even as he thrived in the fast-paced world of network news, Williams never lost sight of what mattered most — family.
"I enjoyed my time there, but at some point, you have to think about balance," Williams said. "The network offered me a chance to go to L.A., but for me and Leisa, it was time to go home."
It was South Florida's good fortune to welcome Michael back. Many of his network colleagues, who are now also retired here, hope Michael can master the art of working hard and playing even harder.
RETURN TO SOUTH FLORIDA, TREASURE COAST
Some careers take you far and wide, but for Williams, the road always led back home. His very first job in television news was right here in the West Palm Beach/Treasure Coast market.
Right out of college, he donned a mandatory orange blazer that journalists wore on air. He earned just $175 a week but began telling stories that mattered.
WATCH BELOW: Michael Williams' career turns full circle with return to West Palm Beach, Treasure Coast
"The start of your career, you don't know where it's going to go," Williams said. "I graduated, came down here, and I was thrilled. This was my chance to do stories in the community—development issues, local government, the Treasure Coast. I still remember the big day they sent us to the bureau in West Palm Beach. That felt like the big leagues."
Decades later, after stints in Cincinnati, Miami and Washington, he got a call that would bring him full circle. In 2010, he returned to Florida, joining the WPTV News team. He brought an unmatched reputation, teaming up to co-anchor with longtime broadcaster Kelley Dunn.
"I met Michael at a secret Saturday audition," Dunn said. "The second we finished, I called the GM and said, 'This is it. He's the one.' He was everything I had hoped for in a colleague and more. The trust, the credibility, the skill. He was just the best journalist I have ever worked with."
"Working with Kelly has been one of the highlights of my career," Williams said. "She's one of my best friends. I learned from her every day."
Over the years, he and his co-anchors covered some of the biggest stories of the decades — always reporting with clarity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to getting it right.
But for all his skill and professionalism, his colleagues will remember the corny, fun-loving guy and their friendships forged during long hours on the job.
After 44 years of broadcasting, Michael is writing his next chapter — one where he calls the shots each day.
"Michael, you are an incredible journalist, an even better friend," Dunn said. "You deserve every moment of this next adventure. Enjoy every second."
So, the journey comes full circle. From his first on-air job to his final sign-off, Williams' career is proof that sometimes the best endings bring you right back home.
"FAMILY IS EVERYTHING"
For over four decades, Williams has told the stories of South Florida. But if you ask him, the most important story of his life isn’t one he reported on — it's the family he built along the way.
"My family is everything," Williams said. "They've been my greatest joy, my greatest inspiration, and let's be honest — sometimes my greatest challenge — but I wouldn't trade a second of it."
WATCH BELOW: Family always at the heart of Michael Williams' life, career
"He's always balanced work and family," his wife, Leisa Williams, said. "Even when he was exhausted from that long commute, he still made time for the girls. He was present even when the job pulled him away."
Michael's three daughters — Lindsay, Erin and Ali — all grew up with a dad who was part journalist, part adventurer and all heart.
"He was just always there. He played with us, took us on hikes, kayaking, swimming," Ali Williams said. "Our family vacations were always outdoorsy."
That love for the outdoors wasn't just a hobby. It shaped Michael's reporting and, in turn, shaped his daughters.
"I got my master's degree in environment and climate change, and I think a lot of that is because of how we grew up," Ali Williams said.
At home, breaking news wasn't just something on television — it was part of life.
"I remember him taking me to swim lessons when his beeper went off," Ali Williams said. "He ran to a pay phone. Gianni Versace had just been shot. He rushed us home and was off to cover it."
But no matter how far he had to go for the job, Michael always checked in.
"I'd call every night, no matter what," Michael said. "I wanted to know how their day was, how school was going, just be part of their world."
So what's next for Michael? His family has a few ideas.
"We say he should do a segment called 'Mike on the Bike,'" Ali said while laughing. "He already spends every weekend on the levees looking for wildlife. Just strap a GoPro to his helmet and let him tell stories along the way."
"But really, I just hope he slows down—because he's not great at that," his wife Leisa said.
While retirement might not come with a breaking news alert, one thing is certain. Michael's new full-time job is grandfather.
"I've loved being a dad. But being a grandpa? That's a whole new level," Williams said. "It's like getting a second shot at all the best parts of parenting."
With a brand new role, Michael's next chapter looks just as full as the one he's closing.
"I'm already teaching part-time at Lynn (University). It's been wonderful," Williams said. "I like to think I was a good mentor over the years, and I'm really enjoying that. Plus, conservation work has always been important to me. And because I can't quite step away from the mic, I'm starting a podcast. Politics, storytelling, all the things I love."
After 44 years of journalism, Michael is stepping away from the anchor desk, but not from the stories, the people or the moments that shaped him.
"You are the sum of every experience. And I am the sum of all the wonderful people I've worked with," Williams said. "I wouldn't have this — this career, this life—without the family and colleagues who supported and inspired me. That is my tremendous thanks to all of them, who guided me, laughed with me. I think about those things a lot and that's my treasure."
