ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Did you feel a rumble right around 2 p.m., Monday?

If you did, it was likely an earthquake that hit just off the coast of Cuba.

Scientists are putting the epicenter just to the west of Cuba, calling it a 6.1. Originally, the U.S. Geological Survey had the quake at 6.4, before lowering the rating. It was the second strongest earthquake ever observed in the Gulf.

The quake was 104 kilometers west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba. It struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers) in waters just west of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Flavia Pupo, a manager at the Pinar del Río hotel, in Pinar del Rio, described how the building shook and caused some fear.

“Everyone here is OK,” she said by telephone. “The people on the street are a little bit scared.”

Vibrations could be felt at Spectrum Bay News 9’s facility off Carillon Drive in St. Pete and in Orlando.

In the Feather Sound area of Clearwater, residents in one building who lived on the fourth and seventh floors say they saw their walls and pictures sway for about 15 seconds.

“I got a call from my neighbor on the seventh floor asking me if I felt the building shake,” said Susan Brimmer. “And at first I said no. And then I felt a little bit of a shake. And so I said, ‘I think we should get out of the building.’ And we came downstairs.”

In Central Florida, the Orange County Public Works Administration Building off of John Young Parkway was evacuated after employees said they felt their building shake.

Brett Blackadar, the deputy director of public works, said he was on a team meeting with other Orange County staff in their downtown Orlando location and that they also felt the shaking at the same time.

County operations did not stop for the day, and employees went back to work after a brief time outside.

“We don’t know what we felt, but I understand there was an earthquake in Cuba,” Blackadar said. “We were all in meetings. I was on the third floor, and Daryl over here was on the second floor, and we felt like what would be considered a tremor. Being a Floridian, we don’t know what that is, so we all walked out of the building and said let’s make sure that it is safe.”

In Seminole County, officials said: “Multiple calls have been received at the Emergency Communication Centers (9-1-1). Seminole County employees report feeling the tremor in multiple buildings. Emergency Management is coordinating with healthcare facilities and other critical infrastructure. Fire department has responded to at least one building evacuated for safety. Seminole County Facilities and Building are mobilizing.”

In Citrus County, officials said: “Citrus County Emergency Management is actively monitoring this event in coordination with our state and federal partners. We will provide updates if any conditions change or if additional information becomes available.”

All Lake County government offices were closed for the rest of the day because of conditions experienced from the earthquake and out of an abundance of caution, officials said.

Emergency officials in Brevard and Osceola counties said they had not received any reports of damage or injuries resulting from the earthquake.

Many Spectrum News followers took to Facebook to share their own experiences. (Use the links above to do the same.)

“Yes, at my sister’s house and her lamps shook and a bit of slight ground wave. We ran out of the house thinking it was a sinkhole about to happen. No drama but I don’t want to feel that again,” said Marie Lareina.

Spectrum Bay News 9 Facebook follower Jo Ann Corso said: “Felt it in our office building in Ybor. Around 2, I asked a co-worker if the building was shaking, our monitors were shaking and we could feel it. 30 minutes later we started hearing all the news reports.”

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program spokesperson Steven Sobieszczyk said in an email: “Given the size of the quake, we would expect further aftershocks over the coming days.”

The Oriente fault zone is located just off Cuba’s southeast coast and has unleashed damaging earthquakes in recent centuries, including a 7.7 magnitude quake on January 2020 in open waters that caused damage in Cuba and the Cayman Islands.

Our meteorologists say a tsunami warning is not likely.

MORE DETAILS:

This is a Tsunami Information Statement for the U.S. east coast, Gulf of America states and eastern Canada.

There is no tsunami danger for the U.S. east coast, the Gulf of America states, or the eastern coast of Canada. 
Based on earthquake information and historic tsunami records, the earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami. 

Tsunami Information Statement Number 1

Earthquake Information

———————————-

Location: in the Cuba region

Latitude: 22.8 N

Longitude: 85.3 W

Magnitude: 6.4 

Origin Time: 2026-06-08 14:00 EDT 

Depth: 21 miles 

For many Floridians, Monday’s incident brought back memories of the quake of 2011. It was the result of a deadly 9.0 earthquake in Japan that killed thousands.

Those in Florida felt a lot of shaking, and it even impacted the state’s water table.

In August 2011, another earthquake, at 5.8, struck Mineral, Va., and it was felt in many parts of Florida.

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