Seminole County deputy hospitalized after lightning strike in Geneva

A Seminole County Sheriff’s Office deputy was taken to a local hospital after lightning struck in Geneva and traveled indirectly to him near Mullet Lake Park. Seminole County Fire Department officials said the deputy was transported as a precaution, and he was conscious and alert after the strike.

WESH 2 reported that the deputy was standing by his truck when lightning hit a tree and carried to him, rather than striking him directly. The call came in just before 3 p.m. Sunday, July 5, 2026, as afternoon storms moved through eastern Seminole County. FOX 35 Orlando placed the strike in the area of Mullet Lake Park, a county property in Geneva.

Seminole County describes Mullet Lake Park as a 55-acre park with a pavilion, camping and boat launching in a rustic setting. The scene matters because Geneva is not a remote name on a radar map. It is part of the county’s everyday public-safety footprint, where deputies, firefighters and emergency responders work outdoors even as thunderstorms build fast in Central Florida.

The incident also fits a larger weather pattern that Florida knows well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Florida is considered the nation’s lightning capital, and that Southeastern states are most at risk. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says lightning kills about 20 to 30 people a year on average in the United States and injures hundreds more.

National Weather Service guidance is clear: there is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area. Officials urge people to move to substantial shelter immediately when thunder is heard and to stay there for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder. The agency’s standard warning, “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors,” is aimed at exactly the kind of quick decision that can keep an afternoon outing from turning into a medical emergency.

For Seminole County, the deputy’s hospitalization is both a human story and a practical warning. Lightning can reach people who are simply checking a gate, standing by a truck or moving around a park, and the danger rises fast when summer storms break over Geneva and the rest of the county.