Today, the Times’ digital team noticed something strange. Our top stories of the day?
All Florida Man.
“Naked Florida man revealed on video sneaking into restaurant and munching on ramen.” (November 12, 2018)
“Florida man throws bicycle, then other man off bridge.” (September 25, 2018)
“Police: A Florida man thought a neighbor stole his lawn mower, so he set his Corvette on fire.” (February 27, 2018)
And the surprisingly wholesome “Florida man reunites with pet cat that ran away 14 years ago” (March 22, 2018)
Thousands and thousands of people were reading these stories…from last year.
Why?
Turns out, we can thank this viral tweet for bringing some of these gems back on our screens and in our hearts.
this idea came from @ gandalfsoda on tumblr!!! pic.twitter.com/wCouGZuYjA
— swervin merv (@g_pratimaaa) March 20, 2019
All you have to do is google “Florida Man” and your birthday, and boom. You have your Florida Man horoscope. (Mine, for example, was “Florida man ends argument with chainsaw strike.”)
It’s been just a few days since the challenge was first tweeted out, but already thousands of people have retweeted it. #FloridaMan is trending.
READ MORE: We’re not just ‘Florida Man’: The biggest innovations and people from the Sunshine State
It makes sense that Florida Man is getting a boost from the social media site. The Florida Man meme itself originates from Twitter, when the @_FloridaMan account started tweeting headlines about "the world’s worst superhero.” (Although former Times reporter Ben Montgomery discovered that the Florida Man account’s Twitter photo is actually based on a mug shot of Indiana man Ricky Lee Kalichun.)
Luckily, there’s no shortage of Florida Man headlines. If you don’t like the one that matches your birthday, why not adopt one of these Tampa Bay-focused Florida Men and Women?
- Woman tried to start paper towel holder on fire in Tropicana Field bathroom, police say
- Florida Woman cradles baby alligator in maternity photo shoot
- Florida man climbs atop playground equipment at Clearwater park, tells kids where babies come from
- This site developed a Florida Man scoring system. Tampa Bay has four of its top 10 all-time stories.
- They got married on Clearwater Beach Sunday. Then they got drunk and arrested, police said.
- Florida man broke into jewelry store, cut himself on glass and bled all over everything, police say
- St. Pete man gets drunk, falls off bicycle, hits man at hospital with folding chair, police say
- To get back at co-worker, St. Pete woman took photos of her on the toilet. She now faces charges.
We want to hear from you: What’s your birthday Florida Man? Let us know in the comments below.