4KXLF.com by CNN News
March 22, 2019
Florida has earned a reputation for being home to some colorful characters — most notably the “Florida man.”
He isn’t actually a single person but rather a trope of all the Florida men who’ve made headlines for doing something … unusual.
And he’s now starring in the latest internet fad: the “Florida man” challenge, in which you Google “Florida man” and your birthday to see what crazy news story from the state pops up.
From botched robberies to deadly cockroach-eating contests, it seems like there’s a wild story about a Florida man for every day of the year.
But what is it about the Sunshine State that generates so many nutty stories?
There are several theories:
- Florida’s strong public records laws, which let journalists easily report on wild crime stories
- The state’s large and varied demographic. which is conducive to some strange occurrences
- The weather, which some say could play a part
But beneath it all, there’s sometimes a deeper element at play in many of these “Florida man” stories — one, that’s no laughing matter.
