A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck 73 miles west of Mantua, Cuba, on Monday, June 8, 2026, and was felt across Brevard County. Kole Fehling, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, confirmed the quake rattled areas from Orlando to Miami. The tremor, though centered near Cuba, was strong enough to shake buildings and rattle dishes in Merritt Island and Palm Bay.
Residents described the shaking as sudden and disorienting. Bridget Reed, a fifth-floor resident of a Merritt Island condo, said her bed began shaking while she was folding laundry. She feared a repeat of the 2021 Surfside condo collapse, recalling how plants in her unit moved during the quake. "I got my keys and walked out," she said. "I didn’t see anyone, so I thought maybe it was all in my head."
Deidre Comegys, a Melbourne resident near the Brevard Zoo, felt a vibration she initially thought was a passing truck. She learned about the earthquake through social media posts later. "Nope," she said, laughing at her own confusion. FLORIDA TODAY Executive Editor Mara Bellaby, whose home on Merritt Island shook, compared the tremor to the vibrations from rocket launches. "It wasn’t as aggressive as some rocket launches but it was noticeable," she said.
Jennifer Wolf, working in Palm Bay, said her office windows rattled for several seconds. Cubicles shook, and the moment passed quickly. The quake, though distant, highlighted how seismic activity in the Caribbean can be felt along the Space Coast. No injuries were reported, and officials said the tremor posed no immediate threat.
The National Weather Service said the quake was unlikely to cause damage in Florida, but the experience left some residents rattled. "You don’t have to be on the same plate to feel a tremor," Fehling said, referencing the tectonic plates that separate Cuba from Florida. The event has sparked renewed conversations about preparedness in a region not typically associated with earthquakes.