You must be my Fla. twin.
I am a climate type A observer, and I send in daily data to the NWS. I have been a Skywarn Spotter since the 1980's, and have found my reports on TV as well. I also was in school for meteorology, but that darn physics.....Usually, I just give reports to the NWS though. I have a Davis Vantage Pro Plus, linked up to the Weather Underground (actually, I did that when I saw yours on it).
One criticism of the Davis gauge is, that it under-reports precip. For example, yesterday, I received 2.47", and it came up with 2.18". They are side by side. It has never over-reported compared to the NWS gauge, but even so, it is a great instrument.
It must have been thrilling to get those NHC emails.