A man living in Florida to attend the Disney College Program was killed after being struck by lightning, officials say.

On Sept. 8, Matthew Jenkins, 20, was walking in Celebration, Florida, which is about 20 miles southwest of Orlando, when he was struck by lightning, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. Bystanders began CPR at the scene, and Jenkins was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Jenkins recently moved to Florida from Michigan to participate in the Disney College Program, an internship that lets college students and recent graduates work at and live near the Walt Disney World Resort, Jenkins’ dad told local news outlet WESH.

Here’s what to know.

More news: South Florida saw ‘unusually’ dry summer, broke 100-year-old heat records

4 lightning deaths in less than a month in Florida

Jenkins’ death marks the fourth fatality caused by lightning in less than a month in Florida, reported Florida Today, a part of the USA TODAY Network.

On Aug. 29, Steve Matheson, a husband and father of four visiting from Utah, was jet skiing in the waters off St. Petersburg, Florida, about 20 miles southwest of Tampa, when he was killed by lightning.

Less than a week before that, on Aug. 23, Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her 2-year-old daughter, Kennedi Rose, were fatally struck by lightning in the driveway outside a relative’s home in Margate, which is near Fort Lauderdale. Glasgow’s husband was feet away when the incident happened and Kennedi’s twin was inside the family vehicle.

In 2026, there have been a total of 14 lightning fatalities in the U.S., with five happening in Florida, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Florida has most lightning fatalities in nation

Florida leads the nation in lightning deaths, according to AccuWeather. There are about 3,500 lightning flashes that reach the ground each day in the state.

While it ranks fourth in the nation for lightning flashes – behind Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas – Florida has the highest number of fatalities for reasons including its dense population and the amount of time people spend outdoors, per AccuWeather.

Nationwide, the top three activities that lead to lightning-related deaths from 2006 through 2025 are fishing, being at the beach and boating. Of the top 12, golf is ranked 11th, just ahead of doing yard work.

While lightning is not attracted to any specific material – a persistent myth is that it seeks out metal – it is more likely to strike taller objects, making someone in a field, on a boat or beach, repairing a roof or on an open highway more exposed.

Staying safe when there’s lightning

The odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are 1 in 1.22 million, according to the National Weather Service. Despite the low odds of it happening, there are still precautions one can take to avoid being struck.

Being struck by lightning can cause someone to go into cardiac arrest, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To avoid any incidents, do the following:

• If you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside.
• Do not bathe, shower or wash dishes during a thunderstorm. Avoid water, as lightning can travel through the plumbing.
• Avoid using equipment such as computers, laptops, gaming systems or other appliances that are plugged into an electrical outlet.
• Do not lie or lean on concrete floors and walls during thunderstorms, as lightning can travel through metal wires or bars found in concrete walls and flooring.
• During thunderstorms, stay off of porches and keep your distance from windows and doors.

If someone is struck by lightning, call 911 immediately.

Kimberly Miller with USA TODAY NETWORK contributed to this report.

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No. 7 Miami set a school record for yards and tied the mark for points in a game, with quarterbacks Darian Mensah and Luke Nickel each throwing three touchdown passes in a 77-7 victory over lower-division Florida A&M on Thursday night.

The Hurricanes finished with 856 yards, breaking the mark of 750 against Ball State in 2024. Miami had 77 points in a game twice previously, both against Savannah State. And the game was so one-sided that the teams agreed to shave five minutes off the fourth quarter, setting the clock for 10 minutes instead of the standard 15.

By then, it was 77-0. The Hurricanes (2-0) finished with 42 first downs — another school record.

Florida A&M (1-2) scored on a 72-yard fumble return by Caleb McKenzie with 6:40 left.

Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three first-half touchdowns, making him 41 of 45 for 653 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two games as a Hurricane. Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher Jr. each rushed for two scores, and Malachi Toney — one of six Miami receivers with a touchdown catch — had four grabs for 96 yards.

Miami scored touchdowns on 11 of its first 12 possessions. The one exception: a one-play drive to kneel out the clock and end the first half. The Hurricanes had 16 players catch at least one pass, the first time a FBS school has done that since Penn State had 17 pass-catchers against Ohio in 2022.

The takeaway

Florida A&M: The Rattlers got $760,000 for this game, including $40,000 to bring the school’s famed “Marching 100” band to Hard Rock Stadium. The band — which has played there countless times, including as part of Prince’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2007 — performed throughout the game, including halftime.

Miami: Mensah and Nickel became the first power-conference teammates to have three TD passes in the same game since Patrick Mahomes and Nic Shimonek did it for Texas Tech against Kansas in 2016. … The Hurricanes have won 20 consecutive home openers.

Up next

Florida A&M: Host Tennessee State, Sept. 19.

Miami: At Wake Forest, Sept. 18.

The Florida Gators ran up the score and shut down opposing defenses in their last 10 games against Football Championship Subdivision teams. The Gators look to continue that streak when they play the Campbell Fighting Camels at 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Florida Field. 

After a strong offensive showing against Florida Atlantic in Week 1, the Gators (1-0) are primed to dominate offensively. Although no team should be considered a pushover, data suggests the Gators should not face many issues Saturday (Coverage: 2:30 p.m. WRUF 98.1-FM/850-AM /103.7-FM HD 2 and SEC Network+ at 5:30 p.m.). 

The Gators averaged more than 52 points per game against their last 10 FCS opponents. Their highest scoring games came against Samford in 2021 and Idaho in 2018. The Gators put up 70 and 63 points in the two games, respectively. 

With a large lead in most games, the Gators tended to stay on the ground. Out of their last 10 FCS matchups, the Gators had more carries than pass attempts in nine of the games, and they averaged almost 37 carries a game. 

The Gators’ rushing attack was efficient as well, averaging 5.75 yards per carry and almost three touchdowns a game. Their greatest rushing game came against McNeese State in 2023 when the Gators ran for 327 yards and six touchdowns.

The efficiency carried over to the passing game. They completed 75% of passes and threw only one interception. This was accomplished at every level of quarterback in the depth chart. In nine games, at least two quarterbacks completed a pass for the Gators, and in two of the games, three quarterbacks completed a pass. 

Most recently, Graham Mertz, Max Brown and Micah Leon all completed a pass against McNeese State in 2023.

The Gators will also have an opportunity to improve a defense coach Jon Sumrall described as “atrocious at times” after the 66-21 win against Florida Atlantic.

In most of their 10 FCS matchups, the Gators shut down the opponent. They completed shutouts against Towson and UT Martin in 2019 and Long Island University in 2025, and in seven games, the Gators held opponents to under 10 points.

Also, the Gators gave up more than two touchdowns in only one game, allowing 52 points against Samford in 2021. 

The Gators won the turnover battle as well. They forced 12 turnovers and only turned the ball over four times. 

Over the Gators’ history, they have only lost one game to an FCS opponent, 26-20 to Georgia Southern in 2013, when the Gators gave up 429 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Georgia Southern only attempted three passes without a completion for the game. 

The Gators also struggled to get anything going on the ground in that matchup as they averaged 4.2 yards per carry and failed to punch in a rushing touchdown.

Campbell hopes to be the second team to pull off a cross-subdivision upset against the Gators. However, Campbell does not appear to be an exceptionally talented FCS program. The Fighting Camels’ last winning season came in 2019. But, they did start this season 2-0 for the first time since 2018, and as college football fans know, anything is possible.

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football, NCAA