Florida
Live winter storm updates: Tallahassee coated in 2 inches of sleet mixed with snow
A historic winter storm that dumped snow and sleet on a wide swath of the Gulf Coast left Tallahassee covered in a blanket of the frozen stuff Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee recorded 1.9 inches of mostly sleet at its office on the campus of Florida State University.
Forecasters said it was too early to tell whether the ice and snow would approach or beat Tallahassee’s all-time snowfall record of 2.8 inches set in 1958.
Here are updates from the path of the winter storm:
The Tallahassee Police Department is urging people to stay off the roads, which were slick and icy Wednesday morning.
The city never saw widespread official road closures. The most notable was a brief shutdown of a stretch of Thomasville Road in northeast Tallahassee and a longer-term closure of the Capital Circle flyover leading to Interstate 10.
But city and police officials warned that all roads should be considered dangerous.
“Snowy, icy roads and continued freezing temps have created EXTREMELY dangerous roadway conditions,” the city said in a post on X/Twitter. “TPD urges residents to stay off the roads for their safety and for the safety of emergency responders.”
The city said emergency crews worked overnight to address issues and will continue working through the day.
“Road clearing crews spread more than 40 tons of sand over roadways including 25 bridges,” the city said. “As work continues, please stay off the roads. They are not safe for travel.”
Tallahassee appeared to have gotten mostly sleet, with some snow mixed in, from the winter storm system — the result of a powerful Arctic air mass that invaded the Deep South colliding with slightly warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico.
“Definitely, the vast majority of it was sleet,” said David Reese, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. “We may have had a couple of minutes periodically through the night that was pure snow. And there was a little bit of time periods last night and early this morning where it was a combination of freezing rain and sleet. So very, very icy.”
Reese said slightly warmer air — perhaps a degree above freezing — moved in over Tallahassee as part of a low pressure system that interacted with Arctic air already in place.
“By warmer, I’m talking 33 degrees,” Reese said. “I mean that’s really all it takes — hey you get snow or you get sleet. If it had been 32 or or less, it would have been at least mixed in with a fair amount of more snow.”
He said snowfall totals across southern Alabama and Georgia, where the air was much colder, ranged from 6 to 8 inches. Parts of the Florida Panhandle got as much as 5 inches of snow.
With a coating of ice on trees and power lines, the city of Tallahassee said it restored power to 10 circuits and about 12,000 customers overnight.
The city’s online power outage map showed about 557 customers without power as of about 7:55 a.m.
“Crews are actively working and will continue to work through the day,” the city said in a mass text to customers. “Additional outages could occur.”
Talquin Electrical Cooperative continued to struggle with widespread outages Wednesday morning in Wakulla County and southern and eastern Leon County, where freezing rain brought down lines. About 11% of the grid was offline at 8:15 a.m, with about half of customers in the dark in the Shadeville and Chaires areas.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)— A Florida mental health counselor walked into a surprising number of bats inside her office last week.
“We had about 50 bats. In the toilet, in the sink. All over,” Shaltala Boss, a licensed mental health counselor, said.
Boss has since moved her office due to maternity season, when it is illegal to exclude or remove bats from April 16 to August 14, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Any form of eviction during this time period will result in baby bats being trapped along with adult bats that may not have emerged. Trapped bats will attempt to escape and may end up in the living space of buildings,” FWC said.
Video provided by Boss showed a bat lying on the ground.
“You definitely didn’t want to come to counseling that day,” Boss said.
Boss has since moved to another location and said it is bat-free.
“Most bats will avoid humans at all costs and use natural roosting structures for shelter during the day. However, bats sometimes find their way into our homes and structures, which can present a health hazard,” FWC said.
Republican Congressman Byron Donalds is trailing Democratic candidate David Jolly in the race to become Florida’s next governor, according to a new poll from Change Research, a Democratic-aligned polling firm.
The survey could be an encouraging sign for Florida Democrats, who have not won a statewide election since 2018 and have struggled as the state shifted steadily toward Republicans in recent election cycles.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is term-limited and cannot seek reelection in 2026, won a second term by nearly 20 percentage points in 2022, while Republicans have expanded their voter registration advantage and maintained control of every statewide elected office.
Still, some recent polling has suggested the push to replace DeSantis could be a bit more competitive than many have expected.
President Donald Trump last month again vocalized his support for Donalds, saying in part, “I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER!” The president added, “Byron Donalds will be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”
Trump won the Sunshine State by 13 points in 2024 against then-Vice President Kamala Harris and no Democrat has won the Florida governorship in more than 20 years.
When reached for comment regarding the new poll, Donalds’ campaign referred Newsweek to the X post of Gates McGavick, the team’s communications director. McGavick said in reaction to the poll, “I hear Change Research also sells tremendous ocean front property in Arizona.”
The campaign also referred Newsweek to Ryan Smith’s post on X, while saying he is also affiliated with the campaign. Smith said, “This is a push poll by Democrats for Democrats. The truth is, Florida Democrats will be crying in their kombucha on November 3 when @ByronDonalds is elected governor.”
What To Know
The Change Research survey found Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties and entered the race as a Democrat, leading Donalds in a hypothetical general-election matchup.
Jolly has centered his campaign on affordability issues surrounding insurance costs, housing and healthcare, while Donalds has campaigned as a conservative successor who will attempt to enact Trump’s agenda and fight illegal immigration.
According to the poll, Jolly leads Donalds 47 percent to 42 percent and has a slightly larger margin among likely voters with 49 percent compared to 43 percent.
The poll surveyed 1,273 registered voters of which 1,015 said they will likely vote in the 2026 midterm election. The survey’s margin of error is 2.8 percent.
Also in the poll, Jolly garners 94 percent support from Democrats compared to Donalds’ 77 percent among Republicans.
What Other Polls Show
Another recent Change Research poll shows Jolly leading Donalds 46 percent to 42 percent. The poll was taken from May 13 to May 16 among 2,070 registered voters, of whom 1,593 say they will likely vote in the midterm election. The poll has a margin of error of 2.3 percent.
In a survey at the end of March by Emerson College Polling, Donalds landed 44 percent of the vote compared to Jolly’s 39 percent. The poll shows that 17 percent are undecided. It was taken from March 29 to March 31 among 1,125 likely voters and has a margin of error of 2.8 percent.
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A recent viral trend — dubbed the “Door Kick Challenge” — has been causing issues as of late in Central Florida.
The challenge involves teens covering their faces, kicking or pounding stranger’s front door when it’s dark outside, and sprinting off into the night.
[WATCH: FCSO releases footage of ‘Door Kick Challenge’ in action]
But on Wednesday, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly warned there could be deadly consequences.
According to the sheriff’s office, these pranks may come across as an attempted home invasion for some, and with Florida being a “Stand Your Ground” state, neighbors have the right to treat it as such.
[ Central Florida deputy consoles 12-year-old accused in door-kicking incident]
“Parents, keep an eye on your children. We know they want to have fun, but they are taking huge risks when they mask up and kick strangers’ doors,” Staly said. “Be the sheriff of your own home, talk to your kids, know their friends, and make sure they know the risks associated with doing what the internet tells them to do.”
But in a release, the sheriff’s office delivered the message in a “language” that teens may better understand:
“This door kick ‘challenge’ is not the side quest you think it is.
It’s trendslop, pure brain rot straight off the FYP. You think you’re the alpha chad of the cul-de-sac? Nah bruh, you’re one hoodie masked-up sprint away from priors. The kind of rap that gets you cancelled before you ever stack any clout. Zero drip in our jail’s barbershop-looking mugshots.
Okay, real talk. Florida is a Stand Your Ground state. A NPC wakes up to two randos kicking their door at 1 a.m. wearing sheisties — they don’t see a flex, they get the ick, and think your side quest is a home invasion. And no cap, you’ll get capped.
Taking an L on TikTok? Recoverable. Taking a round to the chest? There’s no respawn.
So skip this one, chief. Find clout elsewhere.”
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
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