100-year-old tree falls at Florida governor’s mansion during Idalia

TALLAHASSEE – A large oak tree fell at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee on Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia barreled through the state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his wife Casey DeSantis and their three children were staying in the home during the storm, but all were uninjured.

“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. Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the storm,” Casey DeSantis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The governor held a news conference in Perry, Florida, after the hurricane passed through the area to address the damage and state response. During the question-and-answer portion of the news conference, he added his family was safe after the tree fell.

[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

“She called me probably about 45 minutes ago and told me a really, I guess, ancient oak tree split in half and part of it fell. I don’t know that it fell on like the residence, per se, I think was a little bit off to the side,” he said.

Idalia made landfall along the coast of the Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach around 7:45 a.m. The hurricane came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula.

The hurricane briefly strengthened into a Category 4 storm on its trek toward Florida before weakening.

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: