“Florida Man” may be the stereotype, but there are plenty of times each year when “Florida Keys Man” (or woman) steals the spotlight from the bigger moniker. Stories like these are the gifts that keep on giving, and here are a few of the headlines that made us scratch our heads and go “Wait…what?!?”
Iguana nest creates weird sinkhole in Keys road
Earlier this year, a concerned citizen sent then-Monroe County Mayor Holly Raschein a note of concern regarding a “weird sinkhole” in the road in her Key Largo neighborhood. Monroe County Roads and Bridges staff found quite an interesting culprit — an invasive iguana tunneled underneath the asphalt to create a nesting area.
“After investigating the ‘sinkhole,’ we discovered iguanas have tunneled … (and) were laying their eggs under the road,” said crewmember Ron Havengar, who helped with the excavation. “Only in Florida.”
“We appreciate our residents’ keen eyes and taking the time to send a note of concern,” said Kimberly Kelley, Upper Keys Roads and Bridges administrator. “We love special projects, especially ones with surprise endings.”
Man in tractor rampage intended to kill two people on CFK campus
A 22-year-old Key West man went on a rampage behind the wheel of a tractor at the College of the Florida Keys on May 4 with the intent to kill two people, police said. Ethan Robert Layne, 22, allegedly drove a tractor through the lobby of one of the college’s dorms, then used the bucket attachment to destroy plumbing in the building before ramming a truck in the parking lot and striking another vehicle. No injuries were reported in the rampage, which ended after a police officer fired several shots at Layne while he was in the tractor.
Pilot crash-lands off Sombrero Beach on the Fourth of July – but still makes his band gig
Quick-thinking flight instructor Sol Bradman was able to put his vintage plane down safely in the shallow waters off Sombrero Beach when it lost power on July 4. Neither Bradman nor his single passenger was hurt – and Bradman, a drummer, was even able to make it to his gig with the Lady A band at Marathon’s Fourth of July Celebration at the beach just hours later.
Conspiracy theorist alleges that PVC coral farms control hurricanes
In a series of headlines that would be a lot funnier if they weren’t so crazy, Florida Keys coral biologist Kevin Macaulay in October found himself defending online allegations that an Alaskan space lab “activated” fixtures in an Upper Keys coral nursery to control the weather.
“This certainly falls into the ever-growing category of things I never thought I’d have to talk about as a marine biologist,” Macaulay told WLRN South Florida in an interview. The video espousing the ludicrous notion has been viewed more than 1.7 million times on X.
Habitual traffic offender flees troopers, jumps off Seven Mile Bridge
A man reportedly fled from the Florida Highway Patrol on U.S. 1 by jumping off the Seven Mile Bridge on Nov. 26. The FHP attempted to stop a motorist, later identified as habitual traffic offender Joshua Lapidus. The suspect jumped from the bridge, only to be picked up by an assisting Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Middle Keys Marine Unit. Lapidus later told officials he “got stoned” and told an officer in a dashcam video that the jump “wasn’t that stupid.”
Error sends 35,000 false tax bills from the mainland to Monroe County
Thousands of Keys residents had heart palpitations in November when an error from a third-party printing company mistakenly sent more than 35,000 tax bills for Charlotte County, Florida addresses to Keys properties. The company correctly mailed a complete set of tax bills for both Charlotte and Monroe County before the programming error caused “an additional 35,469 tax bills mailed with Monroe County addresses, printed on Charlotte tax bill paper with their envelopes.” Thankfully, as Tax Collector Sam Steele assured residents, there was no data breach, and Keys’ residents personal information remained safe.
