Funny and Weird Facts About Florida

Almost 21 million people call Florida home, including myself. I love the Sunshine State, originally from New Jersey I've called Palm Beach County home for almost ten years. I love learning new things about where I reside. I was sitting in my living room last night and started thinking about a publication in New Jersey called "Weird N.J" it was filled with weird facts, urban legends and other strange stuff about the Garden State. I started doing research and found some cool and weird facts about Florida that I wanted to share.

1. No matter where you are in Florida you are never more than 60 miles from the Ocean. Awesome for vacations, not awesome for tidal waves.
2. It is illegal to sing while wearing swimwear in public. Don't tell that to the police in Key West.
3. It is also illegal for an unmarried woman to skydive on Sundays.
4. Gatorade was named after the University of Florida's football team the Gators, where the drink was first developed.
5. The first ATM was installed in Miami, designed for rollerbladers who couldn't go into the banks.
6. Florida is the 29th most obese state
7. Florida is the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles co=exist in the same habitat
8. Tampa's Bayshore Blvd is the world's longest continual sidwalk.
9. Once a year, thousands of Floridians stand at the state line and toss dead fish into Alabama. It's the annual Mullet Toss hosted by Flora-Bama Beach Bar in Pensacola.
10. Area code 321 has been in service since November 1, 1999, in Brevard County, Florida. The code refers to the countdown sequence 3-2-1 at Kennedy Space Center that launched many spacecraft and is a nod to Brevard County's important role in space travel.
11.  Disney's Magic Kingdom is the 8th most popular tourist destination in the world, right behind Central Park, Times Square, The Las Vegas Strip and Niagara Falls.
12. Florida is the flattest state in the USA as it is the state with the smallest difference between its highest and lowest points, only 345 ft.
13. Florida is home to over 1,300 golf courses, more than any other state.
14. In Cape Coral – It it illegal to park a pick-up truck in your driveway or in front of your house on the street.
15. Native Americans were living for at least 12,000 years in what is now Florida when first known European visitors led by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed in April 1513.
16. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States, founded September 8th, 1565.
17. The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package, a bar located on the Florida-Alabama border line, is partly in Florida and partly in Alabama.
18. Benjamin Green, a Miami pharmacist, invented first suntan lotion.
19. Florida had 47,300 commercial farms and ranches, totalling 9.5 million acres. Florida ranks #1 for fresh market tomatoes, watermelons, grapefruit, sugarcane, fresh market snap beans, fresh market cucumbers and Oranges.
20. In 1982 the Florida Keys declared themselves independent under the name "The Conch Republic". This lasted two minutes.
21. Cities and towns name's in South Florida are simply modified versions of the original Native American terminology.Opa-Locka, was originally calledOpatishawockalocka, a Seminole name that roughly translates to "big tree-covered island in a swamp.
22. Miami has are numerous attractions devoted to nature. The Everglades National Park offers a unique opportunity to observe the flora and fauna of an unspoiled wilderness, as does the Grossman Hammock State Park, near Homestead.
23. Only 25 feet off the coast of Key Largo, Florida lies a giant 9 ton sunken statue of Jesus Christ with outstretched arms.
24. Carrabelle is home to the world's smallest police station, it's literally an old telephone booth.
25. Sprawling over 12,000 square feet, Solomon's Castle in Ona is a massive aluminum castle made from a variety of recycled items.
26. "Spook Hill" is a gravity hill, an optical illusion where cars appear to roll up the spooky hill in Lake Wales, Florida.
27. Oral sex is illegal in Florida.
28. The number of visitors in Orlando EVERY DAY is equivalent the population of Atlanta.
29. Towering at a massive 208 feet tall, this cross marks the spot where the first permanent cross of Christianity was placed in the mid-1500s, it is the world's tallest cross
30. Similar to a drive in movie there is a drive in christian church in Daytona Beach. Services are held at 8:30am and 10am every Sunday.
31. The Coral Castle Museum in Miami was built by one man from 1923-1951. It has  a 9 ton gate that can be opened with one finger.
32. Washington state has Bigfoot, we have the Skunk Ape; a 7ft tall 400lbs mysterious beast from Ochopee.
33. The birth of the modern-day PC took place in 1981 in Boca Raton. It was originally called the Acorn, it was named "Machine of the Year" by Time Magazine.
34. A spirit named Joseph is said to haunt the Riddle House at the South Florida Fairgrounds Yesteryear Village.
35. In Miami Beach – No one may bring a pig with them to the beach
36. Wellington, Florida is known as the Polo capital of the US. The International Polo Club has hosted many championships.
37. Whitehall, the winter retreat Henry Flagler built in 1902, trumps any other mansion in Palm Beach with its 75 rooms and 100,000 square feet of Gilded-Age glory. The home was a wedding present for Flagler's third wife.
38. The South Florida Fair serves around 800 gallons of ice cream, 6,750 pieces of corn on the cob, 8,000 soft pretzels and 12,500 hamburgers to more than a half million visitors during the 17 day event.
39. Palm Beach County's beaches are home to around 16,000 turtle nests.
40. The state constitution allows for freedom of speech, a trial by jury, and pregnant pigs to not be confined in cages.
41. Sarasota, Florida is home to the neighborhood of Pinecraft, which is an Amish Beach town.
42. Florida has a museum of poop. The South Florida Museum has the world's largest collection of fossilized poo.
43. It is illegal to skateboard without a license.
44. In Miami Beach – Persons face up to thirty days in jail for selling oranges on the sidewalk.
45. Walt Disney World opened in 1971, 15 years after Walt Disney passed away.
46. Orlando has 100 lakes, many of which are the result of sinkholes. Rose Lake, an infamous lake formed from a sinkhole in Winter Park, was mentioned in the hit HBO series "The Sopranos" as a good place to hide bodies.
47. The city of Miami had a population of 1,681 in 1900. By 1970 it had 334,859; by 1980, 346,865; and by 2010, 399,457
48. It is estimated that there is over 2 TRILLION DOLLARS worth of lost treasure within 60 miles of the coast of Florida.
49. The Everglades provides drinking water to 7 million people.
50. 86% of Florida Drivers are oblivious to what a blinker is, it still amazes me every day I drive to work.

I hope you learned some cool, weird and interesting facts about Florida. I'm sure there are 100's of more that I didn't mention. There are plenty of weird things that happen in Florida on a daily basis and plenty of weird things that have already happened. If I missed one or if there is one you would like to add please leave it in the comments below!

I'm a 28 years old and originally from New Jersey. Moved down to Florida about 9 years ago. I'm happily married and have two weirdo dogs who I love.

Reader Interactions

walzfectilourn.blogspot.com

Source: https://bocadigest.com/50-cool-weird-facts-florida/

Share this post