Urban dictionary defines the “Florida Man” as “A type of man whose behavior is idiotic but people laugh it off because they are from Florida.” From jumping into a crocodile pit and claiming to be held captive, to attacking a woman with a banana, some may think the title is undeserved, but I believe the moniker of ‘Florida Man’ is very much justified.

First, the sheer amounts of articles from reliable news sources that have “Florida Man” as the first two words are astounding. According to Time Magazine, so many of these cases are released from Florida specifically because of the Sunshine Law, which makes Florida’s public records more open than most other states. The most mysterious part is that while people started recognizing the occurrence only a few years ago, there are even more just waiting to be discovered.

Second, the strangeness of the headlines is baffling. While some just show off the sheer stupidity of perpetrators committing crimes, such as a man using finger guns in a robbery of a Waffle House, others are so bizarre, you swear they made them up. For example, earlier this year, a man stole a truck and broke into a military base to warn them of a war between aliens and Chinese dragons. 

While the notion that there is probably something wrong in the Sunshine state is widely accepted, others think the stereotype is undeserved. They say that the men doing these actions are a minority and that every state has news articles like this. However, not only are the amounts of articles large enough for some to doubt this is a small group, but it’s also enough to dwarf every other state in terms of bizarre articles.

In conclusion, the “Florida Man” stereotype was deservedly earned due to the number of articles and the strange things the men do in said articles. There isn’t really a solution to this as there isn’t a way to regulate these kinds of things from occurring. Just know that whenever you decide to go to the Sunshine State for a vacation, be alert, or you may become part of a bizarre headline.