Tallahassee relatively unscathed in Idalia — but big oak fell at the Governor’s Mansion

Tallahassee emerged from Hurricane Idalia relatively unscathed and crews were quickly restoring power to the Capital City.

Aside from a few downed trees — including one at the Governor’s Mansion — the effects of the hurricane did not appear to match officials’ fears.

First Lady Casey DeSantis posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a 100-year-old oak tree fell at the mansion while she and the DeSantises’ three children were at home.

“Mason, Madison, Mamie and I were home at the time, but thankfully no one was injured,” she wrote.

As many as 44,000 customers were without power Wednesday morning, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, but the city’s utility was quickly restoring power. By 1 p.m., about 28,000 customers were still without power.

Officials were fearing the worst for Tallahassee, which has never seen a major hurricane enter Apalachee Bay in recorded history. Hurricane Idalia veered east of the city, which saw heavy rain and gusts up to 53 mph by 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm left behind cool 77-degree weather.

This story was originally published August 30, 2023 at 2:03 PM.