You have to remember that with these storms, the local meteorologists get their information from the computer models and the NHC -- just like the rest of us. Most of them, even in Florida, do not have specific experience tracking tropical cyclones. Thus, they are going to go with the information available to them more often than not, with a bit of their own experience & information added in for clarity.

Jeanne's track was a complicated one, as the model guidance was split for quite some time as to what the storm would do...if it even survived Hispaniola. The NHC showed the potential for this storm to slow down -- and ultimately loop, later on down the line -- and about that time, the local meteorologists started to pick up on that. It's all a gradual trend, however, in the interest of not alarming the public needlessly. Once the track was shown towards Florida after the loop, everyone was on board...and that, really, is about the time to be prepared for the storm.