Ron DeSantis' Mansion Facing Direct Hit From Hurricane Idalia

The official residence of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could be affected by Hurricane Idalia as forecasters warn of an "unprecedented" weather event in the state.

The Category 3 hurricane is due to make landfall sometime on Wednesday, with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning that it is bringing winds of up to 110 miles per hour and that conditions around the Florida Big Bend will "deteriorate quickly" because of the extreme conditions.

The city of Tallahassee, where DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis live in the Governor's Mansion, is one of the areas in northern Florida which is being told to prepare for potentially life-threatening conditions.

DeSantis, who is running for president, has paused his 2024 campaign to return to Florida and prepare for Idalia. It is unclear where exactly DeSantis will be staying to see out the hurricane, but he said he intends to remain in the state to deal with its aftermath.

DeSantis' office has been contacted for comment via email.

Tallahassee is currently under a Hurricane Warning, with the latest forecast predicting possible tropical storm force winds of 25-35 miles per hour with gusts of up to 65 miles per hour. Forecasters are telling local residents to prepare for "catastrophic" wind damage, as the uncertainty and unpredictability of Idalia could result in winds of more than 110 miles per hour.

The NWS warned that the winds may result in structural damage to even sturdy buildings, including complete roof and wall failures. Mobile homes may be totally destroyed. There is also the risk of damage from large airborne projectiles, and the hurricane could result in locations becoming uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Tallahassee is also under a Flood Watch with rainfall of between 4-8 inches expected and isolated higher amounts possible. However, Tallahassee is far enough inland that there is little to no threat of storm surge flooding.

The NWS in Tallahassee called Idalia "an unprecedented event" around the Florida Big Bend since no major hurricanes on record have ever taken its expected path.

"Looking back through recorded history, NO major hurricanes have ever moved through the Apalachee Bay," forecasters posted on the NWS website. "When you try to compare this storm to others, DON'T. No one has seen this."

Rick Knabb, hurricane expert for The Weather Channel, said that Idalia is on course to be the "strongest wind event ever" for Tallahassee residents.

In a press conference on Tuesday, DeSantis said that he intends to stay in Florida for the foreseeable future, essentially putting his 2024 campaign on hold. DeSantis said that the situation is similar to 2022, when he was campaigning for re-election as governor as the devastating Hurricane Ian was due to batter the state.

"I'm hoping this storm is not as catastrophic as Hurricane Ian was, but we're going to do what we need to do because it's just something that's important," DeSantis said. "But it's no different than what we've done in past iterations of all this stuff."