Actions

100-year-old tree falls on Gov. DeSantis' home as Idalia made landfall

The storm hit Florida's west coast on Wednesday morning, causing severe flooding and destructive winds.
100-year-old tree falls on Gov. DeSantis' home as Idalia made landfall
Posted
and last updated

As Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Florida’s first lady, Casey DeSantis, shared that a century-old tree collapsed on their home while she and the children were inside.

"100-year-old oak tree falls on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee—Mason, Madison, Mamie, and I were home at the time, but thankfully no one was injured," the first lady posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the storm."

Idalia is now down to Category 1 with top sustained winds of 75 mph and continuing to weaken as it moves into the Carolinas.

The storm slammed into Florida's west coast Wednesday morning, bringing catastrophic flooding and destructive winds with it.

Several counties along the coast are seeing flooding.

In Hillsborough County, the Alafia River that flows into Tampa Bay has reached major flood stage because of a significant storm surge.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell says she'll fly to Florida Wednesday and tour damaged areas tomorrow with Gov. DeSantis.

According to Criswell, Idalia is the strongest storm to hit Florida's Big Bend in over 100 years.

So far, only one confirmed fatality related to the hurricane has been reported, in Dade City, Florida, which is near Tampa.

SEE MORE: Hurricane Idalia weakens over Georgia after punching Florida


Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Monday

05/25/2026

Mostly Clear

-° / 56°

2%

Tuesday

05/26/2026

Partly Cloudy

74° / 54°

5%

Wednesday

05/27/2026

Partly Cloudy

71° / 53°

3%

Thursday

05/28/2026

Partly Cloudy

74° / 55°

19%

Friday

05/29/2026

Clear

78° / 58°

3%

Saturday

05/30/2026

Clear

85° / 60°

1%

Sunday

05/31/2026

Clear

89° / 62°

0%

Monday

06/01/2026

Partly Cloudy

93° / 63°

0%