A stretch of Interstate 4, known as the Dead Zone, has been eating cars. In its entirety, I-4 connects Tampa with Daytona Beach, cutting through central Florida and, importantly, is the most heavily trafficked route used by millions of tourists flocking to Disney World each year. So, just by virtue of the volume of vehicles traversing the highway every day, […]
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I’m stranded aboard my houseboat, the Miss Demeanor, practicing social distancing while we wait and pray for the coronavirus pandemic to pass. Trying to be productive while in isolation, I’ve been cleaning out old files of stories that I thought might someday make interesting submissions for The Strange Files. Here are some random notes: Can I have a condom with […]
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So there you are on a hot, tropic day and a shower breaks out. So you slip under a pretty green tree sporting what looks like crabapples. Of course, hiding under a tree during a thunderstorm is an inherently bad idea. Trees being what scientists call Lightning Magnets. But this particular tree you’ve sought shelter under has its own nasty […]
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It looks kind of cute, harmless, fuzzy. If you encounter it, you may be tempted to pick it up, maybe even pet it. Don’t. Even though it may appear similar to a lucky rabbit’s foot, the puss caterpillar is one of the most poisonous insects in America, and you will instantly regret handling it. Just ask Bri Oteri of Dade […]
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A Florida woman (of course she had to be from Florida) found herself uncomfortably pinned to the ground by a camel at a truck stop and did the only thing she could think of to save herself: She bit the camel on his testicles. Now, before going further, there are several questions that are sure to spring to mind, not […]
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So where’s the most unusual place you’ve ever had sexual relations? In the back seat? Betcha not a back seat like this. It began when a Fernandina Beach, Florida couple were pulled over by a cop for–are you ready?–bicycling while drunk. And how would a cop know whether a couple of people pedaling around the beach town were snockered? His […]
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A big shout-out to the Associated Press and other Florida newspapers for this summary of weird news from 2019. Keep being weird, Florida. In 2019, Florida Banana managed to eclipse Florida Man. From alligator antics to naked people doing wacky things, Florida did not disappoint in the weird news department. In December, a Miami couple spent more than $100,000 on […]
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While most families were busy Christmas morning opening presents, we were learning how to use the fire extinguisher up at Uncle Leo’s place in Strawberry. It began innocently enough. Judge Leonardo D. Strano, who happens to be my uncle, invited me to spend Christmas with he and the missus up at his cabin atop the Mogollon Rim. I usually spend […]
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A Florida woman had the feces scared out of her this week when lightning caused her toilet to explode. During a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning struck her septic tank and sent a powerful electrical charge through her plumbing. Methane gas built up in the pipes, a natural phenomenon, ignited causing the explosion, a plumber said. Marylou Ward of Port […]
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