It's good to be back home in weird and dangerous Florida

News and views for Floridians and other Americans who only wish they lived here

Here in Florida, we take a perverse pride in being weird and dangerous.

We have hurricanes and pythons. Sinkholes and alligators. We have Florida Man and Florida Woman, weirdos drawn to the state because it is so easy for them to fit in.

And we have lightning. Lots of lightning.

Mostly that’s because we are a peninsula jutting between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and competing weather patterns wash ashore from both coasts and collide to create light shows in the sky.

We like to call ourselves the Lightning Capital of the United States. And we are—but it depends on how you define your terms.

Texas has more lightning strikes than Florida overall. But Texas is also five times bigger, so their lightning strikes are spread out over a larger area.

Florida’s lightning strikes are more concentrated, which is how we claim the Number One spot for “lightning density,” according to The Weather Channel.

“When it comes to lightning, Texas and Florida dominated the country, but in very different ways. Texas logged a staggering 47,361,143 lightning events in 2025 … But when it came to lightning density, Florida was the runaway leader—and not just statewide. Seminole County claimed the top county ranking with 258 lightning events per square kilometer. Polk County notched the most total lightning events of any county with 1,057,635.”

We lead the nation in deaths by lightning, as well:

Let’s face it, it’s electrifying to live here.

But lightning isn’t the only way we Floridians face danger. We also drive.

I spent the Christmas and New Year holidays on a road trip with my wife to visit our son and granddaughter in Ohio.

Smooth sailing as we traversed Banjo Country on our way north and during our return trip. But when we hit the Free State of Florida line, it was like drivers were suddenly on meth.

Especially pickup truck drivers in Hillsborough County zooming in and out of traffic—of course, none of their trucks seem to have functioning turn signals. We were nearly clipped twice making our way through Tampa. And, no, I do not hog the passing lane. I’m talking about crazy drivers weaving in and out of lanes as if they were running from the law.

Maybe they were.

Oddly, Florida is not rated as the most unsafe state in which to drive, which surprised me when I looked it up for this article.

That honor belongs to Mississippi, which clocks about 25 deaths per 100,000 people, much higher than the national average of 12-13 and even higher than Florida’s above-average 15-17.

I guess you can’t be Number One in everything.

But don’t forget the snakes.

Florida is frequently cited for the number of snakes that call the Sunshine State home, with around 50 species, with several of them venomous ( although pythons don’t kill you with toxins; they crush you).

We were reminded of this as we pulled over at a rest stop south of Gainesville and found ourselves parked under this sign:

Oddly, we did not encounter any signs warning of Skunk Apes.

Why the highway department has failed in this task is troubling, but perhaps they are too busy repainting rainbow crosswalks.

Nonetheless, it’s good to be home, weird and dangerous though it may be.

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a journalist, and award-winning author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.

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