Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee Hit by 100-Year-Old Oak Tree During Hurricane Idalia’s Landfall

On Wednesday, Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, becoming the first major hurricane to enter Apalachee Bay since modern record-keeping began in 1851, according to the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee.

Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, reported that a 100-year-old oak tree had fallen on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee. She shared a photo of the giant tree that had split through its trunk on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The National Weather Service confirmed that no major hurricanes have ever moved through the Apalachee Bay in recorded history. The storm peaked in intensity around the bay at 132 mph, according to Israel Gonzalez, a meteorologist for the weather service’s office in Tallahassee.

Fortunately, no one was injured when the tree fell on the Governor’s Mansion, as the DeSantis family was home at the time. The original mansion, which was built in 1845, usually dodges the most fearsome weather conditions.

Casey DeSantis expressed her prayers for everyone impacted by the storm. She wrote in a tweet, “Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the storm.”