In early 2019 the “Florida man” craze swept over the nation, where it was an almost daily occurrence that yet another Florida man would do something weird and wild to gain news attention from all over the nation. We’re out 365 days a year, doing crazy stuff, like getting bitten by sharks or having samurai sword battles. Is Florida a Good Place to Work? Is it any surprise that you have more weird news than Wyoming?”. It’s so crazy and far away I like to have friends it’s almost Christmas in 12 days it’s monday. [Laughs.] Did you know that Florida’s first state flag bore the legend "Let Us Alone"? Sign up for more inspiring photos, stories, and special offers from National Geographic. “The shape of it [the state] too, it’s like a lot of strangeness just travels the spine of the country and seems to land there… I think there’s some physics to it.”, Scientists—not just writers—have found there are a range of mental and physical health issues that arise when people live above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you've never … The Lakes-I'm going to start off by saying that there are just way too many of those things. I grew up in the Florida Panhandle, playing on the beach, and one whiff of cocoa butter takes me right back to childhood. Before we get to this reporter’s solid explanation of why Florida Man news is so common and insane, I’ll throw in my own explanation. Nearly 100 sick after eating at popular fast food chain. A. It’s also home to the “ Queen of Versailles ,” the documentary about a couple building — and abandoning — the … We’re not cooped up inside, weathering out a blizzard. But Florida is the weirdest state. Another man “chopped off his victim’s head, removed part of the brain and an eyeball, put them in a plastic bag, walked 12 blocks to this cemetery, Lakeview Cemetery, and then ate them,” WTHH-TV reported. Here's why we need to save them. My favorite was a report about a woman who had gotten upset at her live-in boyfriend and hit him over the head with a New Orleans Saints commemorative lawn gnome. When people ask me why Florida is so crazy, the number one thing I point out is that in 1940 we were the least populous Southern state. “Florida has about 19 million residents. (Florida, after all, is the originator of the open-records “sunshine law” that many other states have since copied.) Photograph by Clifton R. Adams, National Geographic. Here are the 100 highest paid jobs in Florida for 2016. But we don’t know how many guns are actually here because if you don’t get a concealed weapons permit, you don’t need a license to have one! They managed to get more than $1 million from their victims for that! Nor does it have a detective’s daughter displaying an ounce of cocaine from the police locker for a grade-school science project (involving sniffer dogs). California has the most poisonous snakes, but it does not have the Sunshine State’s snake obsessions. ... And it probably doesn’t. https://bit.ly/2Gf7rSt There are stories of people doing crazy things in Florida on a daily basis. For instance, In my county (low crime) 1 out of 11 people have for CCP's. The land and the weather. Here are the 100 highest paid jobs in Florida for 2016. Somerset Maugham’s quote about the French Riviera has become Florida’s unofficial tag line—a "sunny place for shady people." 982 likes. Home > Other > Why are there so many crazy people in Florida? It has a Touristy Feel – The feel in some parts of Florida such as Orlando can be too commercial and touristy. 2. The same prosecutor sent a black women—a young mother—to jail for 20 years for firing a warning shot after her husband, a known domestic abuser, threatened her. In the '70s, when the Democrats were in charge, a whole bunch of politicians were charged with various crimes. So many reason Florida sucks and I have lived there 10 years and hate it. Learn more. A guy assaulted a flamingo!” then Florida is the place for you, because you’ll never be bored in Florida. This includes old people, immigrants, the very religious, “carpetbaggers and the nouveau riche from the rest of the country,” rednecks and tourists, as she said. Don't be. One hundred million visitors seek the sunshine in Florida every year, like these tourists riding in a golf cart in Key West. Other southern states, such as Louisiana and Mississippi, score worse on many shameful socio-economic indices. You constantly see things like that as a journalist in Florida. The Villages, the largest retirement community in the United States, is bigger than Manhattan and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest golf cart parade. Our concealed weapons and stand-your-ground laws were both adopted by dozens of other states after us. “You say people down here only care about themselves, well that may be true. You can find a job in all industries. I can't wait to get out of this swamp. Every state has something shameful to hide. They are everywhere, and it is super inconvenient. There’s also greed: The Slate column points out that Florida has the dubious honor of being the No. The “weird Florida” list goes on and on—and then it moves into the political world. Then came the Florida bust in 1926. They are less proud of the fact that they are also known for a lot of black market Viagra sales and sexual liaisons. Volcano tourism is booming, but is it too risky? But it’s high time we just took that table saw of democracy and severed Florida off to float in the Atlantic. If you want to visit someplace boring, go to Wyoming or Idaho. It’s not just the lack of four distinct seasons, but the mix of heat, humidity, hurricanes and native flora and fauna that’s not found in the rest of America. Never, ever! It has the most bugs, the highest identity theft rate in the nation, the flattest roads and the worst elderly drivers . Roger Stone, one of Richard Nixon’s henchmen, told the New Yorker that he moved to Miami in the 1990s “because I fit right in.” To say that Florida has a loose regulatory environment barely states it. There’s a surplus of RNs of nearly 50000, so why would they want to pay someone with a graduate degree when they can higher … It’s one thing to go online and look at the latest "Crazy Florida" lists or "Weird Florida" tours. If you know a lot of other people have concealed weapons, then you will want one, too. Is there something in the state’s character that delights in proving—or telling the world again and again—that Floridian facts are stranger than fiction? The crime rate is the 6th highest in Florida, the crazy high unemployment rate of 19.1% ranks as the 2nd worst statewide. While not applicable in all cases, mental health problems often played a role, Tompkins said. The endless parade of Florida buffoonery or repugnant political deeds rises to top of the news, she said, especially in the snootier and more closeted states. People move there to buy homes that can’t be seized in bankruptcy proceedings. I think it has a lot to do with our history. Jul 19, 2016 . Florida has more concealed weapons permits—nearly 1.4 million—than any other state. Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Don't let the nickname fool you -- here are 11 reasons why you shouldn't visit any time soon. That means players with bloated salaries and high cap values are either going to be asked to take pay cuts, traded or outright released. Politics, not science, inspired the demonization of Ron DeSantis. One of America’s worst serial killers of all time, Bundy’s reign of terror ended in … Surprised about the Casey Anthony verdict? Or that the Sunshine State has more sinkholes and concealed weapons than any other in the U.S.? We’ve been like that ever since. But this book is not just an almanac of wacky facts. That means it seems like Florida is crazy because they don't hide as much. Jul 19, 2016 . Florida is a state of extremes. 7. According to a recent study, Orlando is fat. In my hometown, four of the five county commissioners have been charged with various high crimes and misdemeanors, ranging from consorting with prostitutes to taking money that was intended for charity and using it to buy football tickets. Vanquished military dictators also favor the region, as well as impoverished Haitians. It’s because a massive portion of the Florida population is made up of impulsive people. If you don’t absolutely have to own a home in Florida right now, you may be rewarded with lower, possibly much lower Florida home prices within the next few years. We have 20 million people living here, and then about a hundred million tourists who come every year. Florida’s bad politics startled the nation in 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court stopped a presidential recount and gave the White House to George W. Bush. So why is Florida strange? Guru. Why? If you want to live someplace where the news is the same day after day after day, go to Wyoming or Nebraska. Since World War II, keeping Florida’s economy afloat has depended on maintaining a constant influx of new residents, prompting The New Yorker magazine to dub us “The Ponzi State.” It doesn’t matter which party is in power, either. A. You’re not just reading the police log, you’re seeing the result of Florida consistently being ranked 49th in spending on mental health. ... “It’s crazy here,” she said. Follow him on Twitter. 30 Reasons Why Florida is a Hellhole and Sucks. The Wall Street Journal found that more brokers with flags on their licenses are located in Florida than anywhere else. Put that many people together from that many different places, speaking that many different languages, and they’re bound to start ramming their cars into each other or chasing each other with machetes over whose dog pooped on whose lawn. He was elected after touting his years as CEO of Columbia/HCA, a big hospital chain that paid a total of $1.7 billion in fines for taxpayer-bilking Medicaid fraud felonies that were mostly committed while he was in charge. ], There’s also something I call Sudden Elderly Acceleration Syndrome. The police reporter said Florida’s permissive open-records laws gives the media inordinate access to detailed police files, where they find the lurid tales. Florida. Losing Florida will be an emotional hit for me as well. From our awesome culture, to the amazing food, to the gorgeous scenery, there are plenty of things about Florida that make it just plain awesome. Our people: Since World War II, keeping Florida’s economy afloat has depended on maintaining a constant influx of new residents, prompting The New Yorker magazine to … Why are there so many crazy people in Florida? ], I call it a combination of peer pressure and fear—or fear pressure. The environment created by the almost 22,000 lake basins in the state is so gross and totally not photogenic. Florida is crazy due to these factors: Florida is all surrounded by water. But then the local news goes gothic. People keep getting these messages that Obama is going to take away their guns, so they dutifully go and buy more guns! Most Helpful Guys. There are loose gun laws, of which the Stand Your Ground law is but one example. Florida is a state of extremes. If you Google, “Why is Florida,” before you type in another letter, it fills in, “so crazy,” “so hot,” “so weird.” But joking aside, if you drive south from Alabama and Georgia and turn on the nightly television news, you are going to find behavior that ranges from dumb and dumber to dark and despicable. There are a half-dozen good theories accounting for the beat-on-Florida bandwagon. Why we need booster shots against variants to help end the pandemic, This U.S. national park has the world’s longest cave system. Vaiva Vareikaite Community member. Since World War II, keeping Florida’s economy afloat has depended on maintaining a constant influx of new residents, prompting The New Yorker magazine to dub us “The Ponzi State.” [Laughs.] Everything changes and you have to grab for the gusto! Learn more. Let me just start this by saying that I was born in Florida, lived there for a while, and have/visit many a family member there. Poor Driving Habits – Even though Florida has Another Florida native I was chatting with compared it to being the kid in that movie The Sixth Sense, because you’re constantly seeing things that aren’t there anymore. Native Floridians tend to blame everyone but native Floridians for the state’s reputation. Hilton on 'pain' of being a 'punch line' for years Yes No . This article originally appeared on Alternet. Florida is a state of extremes. 60 Times Florida Man Did Something So Crazy We Had To Read The Headings Twice . That’s part of why people in Florida tend to live for today and not necessarily think about the consequences. ], Two reasons. The tropical weather. And there are reasons why Florida has become the butt of this viral joke. 3. So I can save $500.00 a month to be in FL where there is no state income tax. These “ecological zombies” will eat almost anything and can live almost anywhere. [Laughs.] More cities are among the nation’s top 10 with stickiest weather: Apalachicola and Gainesville. Hilton on 'pain' of being a 'punch line' for years Florida Man is an Internet meme, popularized in 2013, in which the phrase "Florida Man" is taken from various unrelated news articles describing people who hail from or live in Florida.Internet users typically submit links to news stories and articles about unusual or strange crimes or events occurring in Florida, particularly those where "Florida Man" is mentioned in a headline. Nearly 100 sick after eating at popular fast food chain. Midwesterners go to the Gulf coast. The Miami Face Off of 2012 The Everglades are home to some of the most exotic creatures and you … There’s also greed: The Slate column points out that Florida has the dubious honor of being the No. And then comes cannibalism. Add Opinion. This is the era when, as historian Gary Mormino points out, Florida became Florida. Heard about the woman who tried to resist arrest by throwing her baby at a police officer? Here are 12 reasons why it is just so terrible: 1. Battle to control America’s ‘most destructive’ species: feral pigs. Basically, Florida is so weird because we have so many people here now—we’re the third most populous state. “This just makes me want to laugh,” replied Casey Schmidt, to CBS’s Miami affiliate when they asked about Florida’s weird reputation. They didn’t fence off the open range here until 1949. Cast Your Vote. And no wonder, as the local Floridians have to deal with alligators, venomous snakes, seasonless climate, mosquitos and such high humidity that leaves you … My dad finally got rid of his hunting dogs, saying "There’s really no place to go hunting anymore. Florida has a bad reputation -- and it's no wonder why. “You get desperate, depressed, angry, and eventually just don’t care about anything.”. But people in general, and especially the media, don’t delight in pointing out those states’ failings or oddities, Ford noted. And every time we have a mass shooting, like at Pulse Nightclub, gun sales go up again. Subscribe! With a nickname like the Sunshine State, why would anyone want to visit a place with gorgeous vistas, tons of activities and great food? Every state has its fair share of crazy people. Here is why. Right now, some of my colleagues are chasing a story about a man who assaulted a flamingo at the Busch Gardens theme park. The Villages is a fascinating place. [Laughs.] Associated Press articles: Copyright © 2016 The Associated Press. We lead the country in accidental shootings. Lower Florida Real Estate Market Prices Coming. Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC. 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