The ¨Florida man¨ trope is a common meme that you may be familiar with. While it may seem unrealistic, or even offensive, with a quick Google search you’ll find it actually has a strong basis in reality. It was popularized in 2013 and refers to people committing funny or absurd crimes in the state of Florida. The meme got its name from articles and headlines Beginning with ¨Florida man¨ Although it may seem like people in Florida are just crazy, there is another reason for this. Due to the freedom of information laws in Florida, it’s much easier for journalists to obtain information about arrests in Florida than it is in other states, which may be responsible for the large number of articles. Regardless of how it happened, the ¨Florida man¨ is still a hilarious meme, with plenty of wild stories to go around.
Our first Florida man is Reza Baluchi, who was arrested by the Coast Guard on August 26th, after trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a homemade hamster ball he refers to as his bubble. His makeshift contraption was wheel-shaped, with paddles designed to propel it forward as it revolved. Mr. Baluchi is a 44-year-old marathon runner, and was attempting to ¨run to London¨. Surprisingly, this is not the first time this has happened. Mr. Baluchi has attempted 3 similar voyages, all of which ended in Coast Guard intervention. In fact, he was arrested in 2021 for trying to travel from Florida to New York via hamster ball. Despite his interesting vehicle choice, he was able to make it 70 miles before he was arrested. And just to make matters worse, his voyage began just as officials were expecting a hurricane. Regardless, Baluchi refused to leave the vehicle for three days. Once intercepted by authorities, he refused to exit the vehicle and threatened to kill himself, claiming he had a bomb on board. On September 1, he finally surrendered and abandoned his vehicle. Although the bomb was determined to be fake, he is now facing federal charges. Mr Baluchi claims that he was performing these stunts as a ¨fundraiser¨ for various groups, although no money was raised.
Our next Florida man is Justin Goodreau, who was arrested on August 17th after stuffing 300 dollars worth of Walmart merchandise into his pants. Once intercepted by an officer, he said ¨you can’t catch me¨ and attempted to flee the parking lot. He was found about a half mile away and handcuffed. His car was searched, and there was stolen Walmart merchandise, such as a watch, portable charger, and headphones. While his car was being searched, Goodreau asked if he could smoke a cigarette. The cigarette box was in the passenger side door, and upon inspection the deputy found methamphetamine inside of it. There was also a plethora of other drug paraphernalia found inside his car. He was arrested and charged with felony drug possession and misdemeanor theft.
