🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

Although Florida Man memes may seem hard to believe, so many of the shocking headlines reflect the extreme but very real situations that crop up in the Sunshine State all the time. Although weird stuff can and does happen anywhere, Florida in particular has a reputation for attracting a certain kind of desperate character. In the limited series Florida Man, Mike Valentine (Edgar Ramírez) is, in fact, a man from Florida, but he’s much more complex than any joke — as are the real people behind the sometimes tragic headlines. 

Still, the wild moments that happen in Florida Man feel quintessentially Florida: Porta-Potty accidents, sunken treasure, faking a death, a shark attack… the list goes on. While everything in the series is fictional, you can probably find a headline for each unhinged plot point that’s just as strange as fiction. Read on for moments in the series that aren’t as far-fetched as you’d think.

“Florida Man Is Killed in Porta-Potty”

In real life, a 40-year-old man was using a portable toilet at a landfill construction site where he worked. His co-worker was driving a bulldozer and accidentally crushed the washroom, unaware someone was inside. The tragedy was the first time a death occurred at the landfill.

In Florida Man, one of Moss’ (Emory Cohen) tough guys gets locked in a portable bathroom. He drops his cell phone into the hole and lights a match to find it, just as someone fires a bullet that strikes the loo. Long story short: The lavatory explodes upon impact, leaving the man inside dead.

“Florida Man Finds, Cashes In on Sunken Treasure”

Florida Man stories aren’t a new phenomenon. In fact, the insanity goes back decades. In 1982, a Florida man (and boat crew) found 22-carat gold bars, 22-carat gold pieces, silver coins and more, off of Vero Beach. To this day, many Floridians go looking for underwater or washed-up gold in hopes of striking it big.

Delly in Florida Man wants to find gold, too. And soon enough, Mike and his dad, Sonny, also want a cut of the prize. Delly seeks the treasure (that’s supposedly — and actually — hidden underwater, in a sunken truck in a sinkhole) so she can leave her old life behind. She hopes to never count on anyone to financially support her again. The series ends with Delly in possession of lots and lots of gold on her own boat.

“Florida Man Fakes Death, Is Found During Traffic Violation”

Another Florida man made waves (pun intended) when he faked his drowning death in Daytona Beach. He ran away, leaving behind a fiancée and a daughter. Twenty years later, after acquiring a common-law wife and another child (and using a fake identity) in North Carolina, the former Florida man was pulled over on a traffic stop for malfunctioning lights. His real identity became known when the police officer attempted to search for a fake name.

In Florida Man, Delly — well, in this case a Florida woman — attempts to fake her death in an elaborate scheme that involves an ambulance and a lot of blood that isn’t hers. And, just like the real Florida man who faked his death, Delly is spotted alive in her car while committing a traffic violation. 

“Florida Man Breaks into Jail”

A 24-year-old man got high and tried to break into the county jail. But that’s not all. After purposely driving his car into the front door and trying to climb a fence, he got tangled in the fence’s razor wire. Needless to say, he didn’t make it into the building. His motivation? Wanting to hang out with his friends who were in jail. His wish was granted when he was arrested and held without bond.

In Florida Man, a released inmate breaks back into jail when he realizes he’s left the facility without a personal belonging. Much like the real-life event, this scene is complete chaos. In the series, though, the man actually makes it within the prison walls. During the break-in, while the former prisoner is unintentionally distracting officers and security, Deputy Sheriff Ketcher (Clark Gregg) makes his exit from confinement. Cue the “Florida Man Inmate Escapes” headlines…

‘Florida Man’ Main TrailerUnder the sun. Under the gun.