Florida a hotbed for UFO sightings, but so far, no little green men
News and commentary that's out of this world
By J.C. Bruce
When it comes to UFO sightings, Florida is one of the nation’s hotspots.
Of course, we’re not surprised that the home of Florida Man would also rank up there in the weird stuff-in-the-sky department. We have lots of strangeness here in the Gunshine State.
I’m not even sure flying saucers would make the top five list what with Skunk Ape sightings, crocodiles breeding at our nuclear reactors, the world’s largest collection of fossilized poop, Sopchoppy’s white squirrels, dead fish tosses, poisonous stinging caterpillars, and Rick Scott.
But, yeah, we’re famous for UFOs, too, it seems.
Little green men are back in the news with the Pentagon’s release last week of its declassified files cataloguing strange sightings in the sky over the years.
Most can be explained. But not all.
Florida politicians have been at the forefront demanding the government open its filing cabinets to the public, notably Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Marco Rubio, back when he was still a senator. Other well-known Sunshine State pols and personalities demanding answers have included Rep. Jared Moskowitz, the late astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (who quite possibly could be a space alien mole).
There have been more than 8,800 sightings since 1995, vaulting the state near the top of the list. But not the very top. That distinction belongs to California with nearly four times the number of reported unidentified flying objects.
Why so many? Both Cali and Florida have extensive coastlines, which make for clearer skies. Large populations also mean more eyes looking heavenward.
In Florida’s case, we’re also home to several military bases and the state is a hub for aviation, including aircraft testing, which can be mistaken for what bureaucrats are now calling Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.
And—I think this is critical—both Florida and California have something else in common: A “high concentration of believers,” according to the never-wrong internet.
Some notable sightings over the years:
Gulf Breeze (1987-1988): One of Florida’s most famous cases involved contractor Ed Walters, who claimed to take multiple photographs of a UFO. While some experts believe they are genuine, others consider the incident a hoax.
Green Cove Springs (March 2025): Witnesses reported a silent, shape-shifting object drifting over the town during the afternoon.
Bahamas/Fort Lauderdale (December 2024): A flight crew returning to Fort Lauderdale spotted a glowing, spherical object performing high-speed maneuvers that ruled out a standard weather balloon.
Even Stephen Colbert has leaped into the fray with his most recent interview with former President Barack Obama.
When he asked Obama if he knew about any space aliens hiding among us, the president said:
“One of the things you learn as president is government is terrible at keeping secrets. If there were aliens, or alien spaceships, or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about, seen, photographs, what have you, I promise you, some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend.”
And on our peninsula, were a flying saucer to come within range, you just know some bubba of a Florida Man would have shot it down by now.
Related:
‘Maybe it’s a flying saucer’: FBI’s unconfirmed reports about UFOs
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press and an award-winning author and journalist. Before he took up scribbling for a living, he was an astronomy major at the University of South Florida, where the department chair threatened to expel anyone who pestered him about the existence of space aliens. This has led Bruce to a lifelong passion to prove him wrong. So far, no luck. But the truth is out there.
For Your Reading Enjoyment
For the past nine months, I have devoted my writing to this newsletter. But in the preceding several years, I was writing The Strange Files series and these three short science fiction stories, all of which center on the theme of visitors from outer space.
The Code recounts what happens when aliens show up at the White House.
Cool as a Moose Egg is set in the wilds of north Florida when a spaceship lands near the hunting blind of a couple of Florida Men.
Scribbles from Space is a novella, part of a sci-fi anthology that is also available as a stand-alone story. It recounts the Earth’s first extraterrestrial visitor—and, yeah, he’s in a dog suit.
All are available on Amazon if you are interested. And you can read more about all of my novels in the Books Section on the Tropic Press website.
Onward thru the fog
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog. Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.
J.C. Bruce
Share Tropic Press!
As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. But there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.
That’s a problem you can help solve.
With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends.
If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.
Today’s sponsor: Tropic Press Bookstore
Today’s report is brought to you by Tropic Press Books, home of The Strange Files. The six-book series makes the perfect gift for the mystery fans in your life. You can find more information about these hilarious stories here.
Why don’t you run for office?
Not happy with the news coming out of Tallahassee? Do something about it.
The upcoming midterm elections provide a generational opportunity to change the complexion of Florida’s political makeup. But for that to happen, Republican candidates for the state Legislature must face Democratic opponents on the ballot.
Currently, there are far too many seats where Republicans are running unopposed. You can change that. Find out how you can run and how to get help doing so:
Got questions on how to go about throwing your hat in the ring? Project 140 has the answers. Here’s their email address: