Lovely weather all the time, beautiful beaches and amazing sunsets, Disney World, fantastic parks and Bok Tower Gardens – all of these and more make The Sunshine State a wonderful place to visit all year long. Florida’s small and interesting towns are also a fine way to spend your time here. They hide a lot of interesting things, many of which are not known by the general public. And for those of us who like a bit of weird, Florida has that as well. Let’s see some of the weird facts about Florida. Enjoy!
1. Drive-Thrus and Alligators
Alligators are all too present in Florida and some of them have developed a particular liking to Drive-Thrus. Whenever you’re in one make sure your friendly alligator isn’t in the line as well. It might be funny to hear about things like these happening to others but once you see an alligator up close and personal, things change drastically.
2. If it starts with “Florida Man”
Then you know you’re in for a real wild ride (probably). There’s a lot of these news reports headlines that start off with “Florida Man” and the rest is usually either funny, weird or exciting in some way – sometimes all 3. Bizarre crimes, someone wrestling an alligator (yes that happened) or who knows what else, it all happens after you hear that kind of headline.
Here are just a few of these headlines:
Florida Man tries to cross ocean in Hamster wheel…again
Florida Man arrested for DUI wearing “I’m the reason the beer’s always gone” t-shirt
Florida Man charged with battery after slapping police horse’s butt
Florida Man arrested after buying meth and asking cops to test its authenticity
Florida Man arrested after he allegedly stole 66 rolls of toilet paper from hotel
These are so funny, you just know you’ll Google some of them right now to see what the actual deal is…
3. Tree falling iguanas
Even in Florida it can get chilly outside and when that happens iguanas that like to stay in the trees can fall down since it’s too cold. Then they go into a reptilian hibernation of sorts. The whole thing can feel and look like a reptilian rainstorm depending on where you are at that time.
4. Florida zombie alerts
Can you believe someone actually sent out a zombie alert in Florida? It happened in 2018, by accident, during a power outage. We wonder what residents were thinking when they heard this. Sounds like a plot from a horror movie.
5. The bath salt epidemic
And talking about zombies, Florida had its own “zombie apocalypse” when some people started using certain synthetic drugs or bath salts. Things must have been just like in an episode from the “The Walking Dead”.
6. Sponges and bathrooms as art
In Tarpon Springs, Florida, there’s the “Spongeorama” museum where you’ll find a LOT of natural sponges, thousands of them. Some are decorating restrooms, making them look pretty art-full. Don’t forget to visit the sponge gift shop and get yourself a nice souvenir.
7. Florida sinkholes
Sometimes the ground just decides to open up in certain areas in Florida. Many such cases have been reported, sometimes with human casualties or swallowing houses or cars.
8. Hurricane parties
Because if you can’t beat it, why not party when it happens? That’s what some people do when it’s hurricane season in Florida. They throw these parties “celebrating” this “special” time in their lives.
9. The tank rampage of ‘95
In 1995 someone stole a tank from the National Guard armory and went on a stroll through San Diego streets. The tank crushed cars and infrastructure in its path before its driver was fatally shot by the Police. There’s an interesting Wikipedia page about this if you’re interested to learn more.
10. Florida’s migratory flocks
Every winter, Florida gets visited by birds that are looking for a warmer climate for the winter. Many migrating birds will make Florida their home for a short time and will make Florida seem like a bird sanctuary of sorts.
11. Fire tornadoes
Sometimes wildfires whip up swirling flames and form fire tornadoes that look very scary and can do a lot of damage. It can happen in Florida and it’s much scarier than a sci-fi movie.
12. Florida meth labs in Walmart
This one might seem very strange but believe us when we say it happens more than you’d think. Do a Google search for “meth lab in Walmart in Florida” to see what we mean.
13. World’s smallest police station
Florida is home to the world’s smallest police station which is actually a phone booth-like structure. We’re not kidding! It’s located in Carrabelle and looks like it couldn’t be real – but it is.
14. Vomiting vultures
Yes, that is correct. There have been cases where such vultures have invaded cars or even houses (or vacation homes) and left a real mess behind. Some people have resorted to covering their cars with tarps.
15. Alligator trappers on speed dial
If you live in Florida this is a must. You never know when you’ll spot an alligator close by and need the assistance of specialists in this. Alligators have been spotted in swimming pools, on golf courses, backyard and like we already mentioned earlier, in drive-thrus.
16. Fruit-themed festivals
Floridians do love their fruits. They will probably end up creating a festival for everything soon. They have the Zellwood Corn Festival, the Dade City Kumquat Festival, Florida Key Lime Pie Festival, Clay County Annual Strawberry Fest, Brooksville Blueberry Festival, DeSoto County Watermelon Festival and many, many more.
17. Spook Hill
This is the place where cars appear to roll up a spooky hill instead of going down. Cars seem to defy gravity and roll uphill.
Well, we hope you’ve found some of these weird facts about Florida interesting, fun or downright strange. There’s plenty more weirdness in Florida but these are some of the more known things. Let us know your favorite or others you know of in the comments below. Have a good one!
Recommended reading next: 15 Weirdest Laws In Florida You Didn’t Know Existed
Why is it called Florida?
Florida was named by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, in 1513, in honor of Spain’s Easter celebration “Pascua Florida” which means Feast of Flowers.
Is Florida a happy place to live?
A 2020 study on WalletHub says it’s not among the first 20 happiest US states.
I’m a passionate writer with an insatiable curiosity for history, obscure facts, and the weird corners of the internet. When I’m not fact-checking bizarre stories or diving into historical mysteries, I’m exploring the strange and unusual to bring you the most fascinating tales.
A self-proclaimed weirdness enthusiast, who loves turning the odd, the quirky, and the unbelievable into engaging stories for curious minds.
My kids sometimes call me the walking Wikipedia, which can get very annoying sometimes.
