LIST: Top 10 wackiest Florida Man (and Woman) headlines of 2024
Dec 28, 2024
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Another year has come and gone, but the wacky antics of Florida residents live on forever through the internet.
"Florida Man" and "Florida Woman" were back at it again with a wide range of shenanigans in 2024.
Here are just a few of the top headlines from this year:
‘Not my fault the truck don’t surf’: Florida Man arrested after driving car into the ocean
(Volusia County Sheriff's Office)
Author: Kaycee Sloan | Date: February 6
A Florida Man was arrested after he drove through a closed beach and into the ocean.
During his arrest, he can be heard telling deputies that he just wanted to surf, and it's not his fault the "truck don't surf."
You can read the full story here.
Florida Man impersonates security to get into Taylor Swift concert, arrest report says
Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour in London on June 21, 2024. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
Author: Sara Filips | Date: October 21
Some Swifties went to drastic lengths to see their favorite artist on her Eras Tour this year, but this Florida Man took it a step further.
A 44-year-old man was arrested for impersonating a security guard to get into Swift's Miami concert, according to an arrest report.
He told an officer he didn't have tickets, but got in after he escorted "his four clients" to their seats.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Man had hours-long junk food feast inside closed Walgreens, police say
(New Smyrna Beach Police)
Author: Kaycee Sloan | Date: July 16
A Florida Man was arrested after he indulged in sweets and other various items inside a closed Walgreens for several hours, according to police.
“I came in here to use the bathroom,” the man told officers.
After being in the restroom for nearly five hours, police said the man began roaming around the store “treating himself” to various items, such as Tostitos spinach dip, chips, Reese’s chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate bars, Dr. Pepper, and Newport cigarettes.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Woman stormed the Capitol in a scuba mask, searched for the bathroom: DOJ
(DOJ)(DOJ)(DOJ)
Author: Rachel Tucker | Date: March 1
Dozens of Floridians were charged with offenses connected to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, but one Florida Woman got a little sidetracked from her mission to "Stop the Steal."
She was captured on security cameras inside the Capitol wearing a yellow scuba mask and recording several videos of herself traversing the building among the mob, according to the DOJ.
One self-recorded video showed two women wandering the halls “in search of a bathroom,” the DOJ said. She asked a Capitol police officer to point her toward a restroom, which led them downstairs to another officer who ushered them out of the building.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Man takes on bizarre challenge of eating raw chicken every day
(Getty Images)
Author: Katlyn Brieskorn | Date: February 22
A Florida Man decided to chow down on raw chicken daily in a bizarre challenge to find out if eating raw meat isn’t as horrifying as it seems.
John, who has chosen not to share his last name for privacy reasons, filmed himself eating slabs of raw chicken and chugging raw eggs for his 400,000 Instagram followers for a few months. He said he planned to eat raw chicken every day until he “gets a tummy ache.”
There is no word on how John's experiment turned out, but it's probably safe to assume he eventually got a tummy ache, as he has not posted to Instagram since July.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Man saves neighbor from jaws of 11-foot gator by hitting it with his car
Author: Nathaniel Rodriguez | Date: April 23
Florida Man to the rescue!
A man in Collier County narrowly escaped a potentially deadly encounter with an 11-foot alligator, thanks to one of his neighbors.
"I was driving, and we saw a man lying on the ground, waving his arm," the man told WBBH. "We pulled over and I got out of the car and saw that an alligator had him by the leg."
With not much time to think, our Florida Man ran over the alligator, which released his neighbor from its mouth.
You can read the full story here.
‘You made all the way to the top?’: Florida Man arrested after scaling cell tower
(Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
Author: Kaycee Sloan | Date: February 26
A Florida Man was arrested after he live-streamed himself climbing a cellular tower in Hillsborough County. When authorities found him, he was climbing back down the tower after sharing his adventure on social media.
“You made it all the way to the top?” an arresting deputy asked the man.
“Yeah,” the suspect said.
“That’s pretty crazy,” the deputy responded.
He was taken into custody once he reached the ground.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Woman leads deputies on chase in stolen ambulance: LCSO
(Lee County Sheriff's Office)
Author: Rachel Tucker | Date: June 20
A Florida Woman was accused of stealing an ambulance from a children’s hospital and leading deputies on a chase.
“This ambulance is all over the road and it’s running red lights. It’s going to end up killing someone. It’s purposefully, recklessly driving crazy,” an audio clip released by the sheriff’s office said.
Her joyride came to an end after deputies managed to box in the ambulance with their patrol vehicles. She was taken into custody.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Man arrested after making bomb threat against himself: police
(Getty Images)
Author: Rachel Tucker | Date: March 5
A Florida Man says he "made a mistake" when he called in threats against himself in an attempt to get "revenge" on someone.
The 20-year-old told police he received the following emails:
“There’s a bomb on your grandpa’s property.”
“I’m going to break in your house and shoot u in the [expletive] head.”
“I’m going to kill you. Watch me.”
When he followed up with police to ask why they hadn't arrested the person accused of sending the threats, they arrested him for allegedly filing a false police report instead.
You can read the full story here.
Florida Man buys mask at gas station to burglarize bank across the street: deputies
Martin County Sheriff's Office
Author: Sara Filips | June 19
A Florida Man was caught on video purchasing a mask from a gas station before walking across the street to burglarize an unlocked bank, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
With the help of the security footage, he was later found and arrested.
"He was charged with burglary despite the fact that the only thing he walked away with was the mask that set him back five bucks," officials said.
You can read the full story here.
The Florida Man phenomenon took on an extra special title in early 2024 when the "Florida Man Games" were held in St. Augustine. "The Florida Man Games Round 2" is scheduled for March 1, 2025.