Tallahassee's west side almost 'wiped out' after being hit by historic tornadoes, winds
Days after the worst tornado hit in Tallahassee's history, Steve Leoni still can't believe it.
Part of Tallahassee's west side are unrecognizable. At almost every turn, sky-high trees were ripped from the ground and strewn all over the saturated ground. Leoni's property management firm, Student Housing Partners LLC, includes several apartment buildings, duplexes, quadraplexes and other rentals.
He's spent the last several days driving around areas. Spring semester just ended in late April so, thankfully, fewer students were in town during Friday morning's storm. As he drove, he was shocked by the sheer volume of destruction created by the tornadoes' force.
"We've got roof damage and holes punctured in some units," said Leoni, adding he's been in Tallahassee 35 years and never saw anything like this. His firm also manages the Westend Square Shopping Center off West Pensacola Street, where overhead power lines along the rear all came down.
As of Monday morning, Leoni said the electric grid that served properties from Ocala Road to Doak Campbell Stadium were "completely wiped out."
He rattled off areas that were hit hard: Ivy Lane, South Lipona Road, Belle Vue Way, Blackburn Avenue, Day Street and Dalton Gable courts. Leoni said, "All of these areas are just destroyed."
"Power lines, like everything is down," Leoni said. "A lot of it is overhead power, so power lines that are connected to the houses are ripped off the houses. You have major destruction to the grid."
For him, it's hard to find words to describe the sheer devastation Tallahassee experienced after a two EF-2 and one EF-1 tornado shredded segments of Tallahassee from west to east.
Friday's storm snapped more than 500 utility poles, exceeding Hurricanes Hermine, Irma and Michael combined. It forced public school and university closures, along with Tallahassee Community College.
On Tallahassee's west side, several restaurants and businesses are now forced to assess damage and figure out how to move forward.
Derrick Robinson, general manager at Burrito Border on West Pensacola Street, said the restaurant has been closed since Friday's storm. Power was restored Sunday night, but none of the restaurant's food could be salvaged.
"We've lost pretty much all of the product we had in the store," Robinson said. "We're at a pretty significant loss right now."
The restaurant, which opened in September 2021, sustained structural and roof damage to the patio area. Wood fences on the property were knocked to the ground. Robinson said extensive cleanup was necessary after the tornadoes ripped through the city.
At the former Jim & Milt's, an iconic restaurant for more than 40 years, sustained damage to the building's exterior. The site is slated to be a new Cook Out restaurant. Owner Jeremy Reaves said he's still planning to begin construction in a few weeks.
"We're just glad nobody got hurt," he said. "We're super excited to come to Tallahassee. We love Tallahassee, and that's really the whole story."
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee's west side hit hard by historic tornadoes, winds
