In 2019, President Trump officially changed his primary residence to the Sunshine State, which led many to declare him the ultimate Florida Man.
The president certainly had his share of newsworthy headlines, but many Florida Man stories were so astounding that not even The Donald could dream them up on his own.
So, for the 6th straight year, Sachs Media Group has compiled its annual list of the top-10 news articles detailing the baffling (non-presidential) exploits of Florida Man, each one accompanied by an original illustration by renowned cartoonist Bill Day.
After you’ve seen the most memorable Florida Man exploits of 2019, please take a moment to cast your vote on the year’s best Florida Man story.
Florida Man returns to crime scene in stolen Jeep to look for cellphone
A Florida man allegedly drove a stolen jeep back to the scene of his crime recently to ask if anybody found his missing cellphone. Read more about this story on Patch.com.
Florida Man caught feeding wild alligator resists arrest: ‘he’s a good boy…and he loves bagels’
A man regularly fed “Hank” the alligator, a 10-foot beast that lived in his neighborhood pond. Read more about this story on Newsweek.com.
Florida Man attacked by shark goes to bar instead of hospital
A professional surfer opted not to go to the hospital after getting attacked by a shark. Instead, according to a friend, he “immediately went to a bar, because he’s like, ‘I got bit by a shark!’ and people were like, ‘I’ll buy you drinks!’ So he went and hung out at the pier.” Read more about this story on FoxNews.com.
Florida Man calls 911 to say roommate ‘stole his weed’
“The guy’s calling in saying his roommate stole his weed, $20 worth and he’s upset and he keeps calling 911, so I had to give him a call and tell him to stop calling about his weed,” said a Pasco County Sheriff. Read more about this story on OrlandoSentinel.com.
Florida Man’s Florida dog put a car into reverse and drove it in circles for nearly an hour
Florida dog Max jumped into a 2003 Mercury Sable and hit the shifter into reverse. The car proceeded to slowly circle the cul-de-sac, with Max along for the ride. No one was hurt, except for a mailbox. Read more about this story on CNN.com.
Florida man posing as fake cop pulls over real cop, gets arrested
A man pretending to be an officer was arrested after he pulled over an off-duty deputy on I-4.
“A car pulls up behind him with white and amber lights flashing. And it does not seem to be making much sense to this deputy. He knows this does not look like a typical cop car.” Read more about this story on WFLA.com.
Florida Man tries to race another driver but doesn’t realize they’re a cop
A man revved his engine and tried to bait a fellow motorist into racing him. He blasted off at 124 mph but didn’t realize that the driver he was trying to bait was a police officer. Read more about this story on TampaBay.com.
Florida Man steals $33,000 in rare coins, then cashed them in at a coin star machine for face value
A man broke into his boss’s office and stole a rare coin collection worth $33,000. He then took the coins to a Coinstar machine and cashed them in at face value (about $30). Read more about this story on PalmBeachPost.com.com.
Florida Man leads police on low speed chase in canoe
A man fled police and entered a canoe at the edge of a pond to further flee from the deputies. He returned to shore when the police told him “the pond is surrounded.” Read more about this story on ActionNewsJax.com.
Florida Man caught stealing beers said he was just exchanging it for cold ones
A man told deputies he was only exchanging his beer for a colder 12-pack when caught stealing at Publix. Read more about this story on SebastianDaily.com.
Florida Man 2019
Best of 2018
Nearly 200 people voted for their favorite 2018 Florida Man story. The top pick…
Florida Man Enters Jacksonville Store and Chases People with Live Alligator
Only in Florida, only by Florida Man. Asking, “Hey, man, y’all got beer still? Y’all ain’t out, are y’all?” this dude chased off the competition for that last brewski toting a live alligator. Should he be charged with intimidation with a deadly lizard? Read more about this story on FirstCoastNews.com.