# Lightning fatalities in Florida

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/lightning-fatalities-in-florida
> Updated: 2026-09-13T05:08:43.000Z. Sources: 11. Developments: 2.

In late August 2026, a 47-year-old man from Utah died after being struck by lightning while jet skiing near Fort De Soto Park in the St. Petersburg, Florida area. Meteorologists warned that summer storms can develop rapidly, noting that “the first rumble of thunder might be too late” regarding the danger of early strikes.

On September 8, a 20-year-old man from Michigan was killed by a cloud-to-ground lightning strike near a hotel in Celebration, Florida. This incident marked the sixth lightning-related death in Florida and the 15th in the United States for the year. Experts described the event as a “bolt from the blue,” where lightning strikes an area where skies may appear relatively clear.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-13: Florida lightning strike kills 20-year-old man

A 20-year-old Michigan man died following a lightning strike near a Florida hotel, highlighting the danger of “bolts from the blue” that strike even when skies appear clear.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/florida-lightning-strike-kills-20-year-old-man

### 2026-08-31: Utah man killed by lightning strike while jet skiing in Florida

Steve Matheson, a 47-year-old Utah father, died after being struck by lightning while jet skiing near Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Saturday evening.

9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/utah-man-killed-by-lightning-strike-while-jet-skiing-in-florida

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Cite as: Lightning fatalities in Florida. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/lightning-fatalities-in-florida