THE STRANGE STORIES OF 2024

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“Florida Man” will be the stereotype, however there are many instances every year when “Florida Keys Man” (or girl) steals the highlight from the larger moniker. Tales like these are the presents that carry on giving, and listed here are just a few of the headlines that made us scratch our heads and go “Wait…what?!?”

County highway crews restore a piece of highway broken by iguanas that tunneled subsequent to an outdated culvert to put eggs. MONROE COUNTY/Contributed

Iguana nest creates bizarre sinkhole in Keys highway

Earlier this yr, a involved citizen despatched then-Monroe County Mayor Holly Raschein a notice of concern concerning a “bizarre sinkhole” within the highway in her Key Largo neighborhood. Monroe County Roads and Bridges workers discovered fairly an attention-grabbing wrongdoer — an invasive iguana tunneled beneath the asphalt to create a nesting space.   

“After investigating the ‘sinkhole,’ we found iguanas have tunneled … (and) have been laying their eggs below the highway,” stated crewmember Ron Havengar, who helped with the excavation. “Solely in Florida.”

“We respect our residents’ eager eyes and taking the time to ship a notice of concern,” stated Kimberly Kelley, Higher Keys Roads and Bridges administrator. “We love particular tasks, particularly ones with shock endings.”

a mug shot of a man in a green jacket
Ethan Robert Layne. MCSO/Contributed

Man in tractor rampage supposed to kill two individuals on CFK campus

A 22-year-old Key West man went on a rampage behind the wheel of a tractor on the School of the Florida Keys on Might 4 with the intent to kill two individuals, police stated. Ethan Robert Layne, 22, allegedly drove a tractor via the foyer of one of many faculty’s dorms, then used the bucket attachment to destroy plumbing within the constructing earlier than ramming a truck within the car parking zone and hanging one other automobile. No accidents have been reported within the rampage, which ended after a police officer fired a number of photographs at Layne whereas he was within the tractor.

a small plane floating on top of a body of water
There have been no reported accidents when Florida Keys Flight Academy’s Sol Bradman landed with one passenger within the water off Sombrero Boulevard. MCSO/Contributed

Pilot crash-lands off Sombrero Seashore on the Fourth of July – however nonetheless makes his band gig

Fast-thinking flight teacher Sol Bradman was in a position to put his classic aircraft down safely within the shallow waters off Sombrero Seashore when it misplaced energy on July 4. Neither Bradman nor his single passenger was harm – and Bradman, a drummer, was even in a position to make it to his gig with the Woman A band at Marathon’s Fourth of July Celebration on the seaside simply hours later.

a starfish is on the bottom of a pole in the ocean
Opposite to conspiracy theorists’ beliefs, coral timber have every part to do with restoring the reef, and nothing to do with the climate. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

Conspiracy theorist alleges that PVC coral farms management hurricanes

In a sequence of headlines that will be so much funnier in the event that they weren’t so loopy, Florida Keys coral biologist Kevin Macaulay in October discovered himself defending on-line allegations that an Alaskan area lab “activated” fixtures in an Higher Keys coral nursery to regulate the climate. 

“This definitely falls into the ever-growing class of issues I by no means thought I’d have to speak about as a marine biologist,” Macaulay instructed WLRN South Florida in an interview. The video espousing the ludicrous notion has been seen greater than 1.7 million instances on X.

Routine visitors offender flees troopers, jumps off Seven Mile Bridge

A person reportedly fled from the Florida Freeway Patrol on U.S. 1 by leaping off the Seven Mile Bridge on Nov. 26. The FHP tried to cease a motorist, later recognized as ordinary visitors offender Joshua Lapidus. The suspect jumped from the bridge, solely to be picked up by an aiding Monroe County Sheriff’s Workplace Center Keys Marine Unit. Lapidus later instructed officers he “obtained stoned” and instructed an officer in a dashcam video that the bounce “wasn’t that silly.”

a close up of a paper with a receipt on it
A pattern Charlotte County tax invoice, mistakenly despatched to a Center Keys handle after a programming error. CONTRIBUTED

Error sends 35,000 false tax payments from the mainland to Monroe County

1000’s of Keys residents had coronary heart palpitations in November when an error from a third-party printing firm mistakenly despatched greater than 35,000 tax payments for Charlotte County, Florida addresses to Keys properties. The corporate accurately mailed a whole set of tax payments for each Charlotte and Monroe County earlier than the programming error triggered “an extra 35,469 tax payments mailed with Monroe County addresses, printed on Charlotte tax invoice paper with their envelopes.” Fortunately, as Tax Collector Sam Steele assured residents, there was no knowledge breach, and Keys’ residents private data remained secure.

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