NEAR MISS

Idalia Topples Massive Oak Tree at DeSantis’ Tallahassee Mansion

Florida’s first lady said she was at home with her three kids when the tree split and fell, but nobody was injured.

An oak tree over a hundred years old was toppled by Hurricane Idalia at Ron DeSantis’ mansion in Tallahassee on Wednesday, with part of the tree appearing to come down mere feet from the structure. Along with a photo, Casey DeSantis tweeted that she was home with her three children when the tree fell, but nobody was injured. The governor mentioned the tree in a press conference Wednesday, but downplayed its falling, saying the “ancient” tree’s removal will give his kids more room to play. “Even though the tree was nice, we’ll probably make do and just be quite all right,” he said. Casey’s photo showed the tree split in half, with it toppling in two different directions. Idalia slammed into Florida as a major hurricane on Wednesday morning, but did so in one of the state’s most rural regions. Despite a pair of fatal car crashes from Wednesday morning, DeSantis said there were no confirmed deaths from Idalia.