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Hurricane Idalia causes massive oak tree to fall on DeSantis mansion

Casey DeSantis was inside the home when the tree fell, along with her three children

Senior Culture Editor

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Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife attend a vigil to honor the victims of a deadly shooting that took place in Jacksonville, Florida on August 27, 2023. (Saul Martinez for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife attend a vigil to honor the victims of a deadly shooting that took place in Jacksonville, Florida on August 27, 2023. (Saul Martinez for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

As Hurricane Idalia wreaks havoc in the Florida area, the heads of state are impacted as well. According to a report from CBS News, a 100-year-old tree oak fell on Governor Ron DeSantis’ mansion in Tallahassee, Florida while he was away hosting press conferences for updates on the very hurricane that did damage to his own home, ironically. During the scare, Casey DeSantis and their three children were inside, but no one was reported to have been injured. 

The governor and GOP candidate for president re-located with his family to the mansion in 2019, upon election to office. The original structure was built in 1907 and rebuilt in 1955 to fix structural issues.

“Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the storm,” Mrs. DeSantis wrote to X after the event, sharing a photo of the fallen tree.

During an afternoon press conference, reporters asked DeSantis about what happened and he relayed information from his wife, who phoned to tell him all about it. “I guess it’s a really ancient oak tree split in half,” he said. “And part of it fell. I don’t know that it fell on the residence per se. It was a little bit off to the side. So that’s going to be cleared  . . . If they do cut down the whole tree, that’s just going to be more room for my kids to hit baseballs in. And so in some respects for us, even though the tree was nice, we’ll probably make do and be quite all right.”

 

 

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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