Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis – standing beside an 100-year-old oak tree that Hurricane Idalia felled onto the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee – said his state was well-prepared for the storm, and that despite its near-Category-4 status there were markedly fewer casualties than last year's Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis told Fox News that Idalia made landfall in the state's Big Bend as a very strong Category-3. He said the storm had been at Category-4 status until within 15 miles of the coast.
The cyclone ultimately made landfall near remote Keaton Beach in Taylor County, just southwest of the crossroads city of Perry. That area is known for its thick cedar swamps that line US-98 for many miles from Sopchoppy down toward Cedar Key.
