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First Coast Connect

ONLY IN FLORIDA: Slow-Speed Boat Chase, Manatee Super Bowl Picks, And An 'Insane' News Quiz

Mote Marine Laboratory

Forget the Vegas line, we've got the real inside, or rather, underwater track on who will win the Super Bowl in this week's ONLY IN FLORIDA.ONLY IN FLORIDA is our weekly roundup of the strange, bizarre and just plain ridiculous headlines from right here in the Sunshine State.

ONLY IN FLORIDA do fugitives from justice try to flee authorities by canoe.

Garrett Eure of Gainesville, Jessie Bryant of Fort Pierce, both 23, had been chilling in a safehouse, avoiding arrest for armed burglary and battery by strangulation, among other charges.

Somehow they caught wind of the lawman's arrival, and the chase was on.

Using two wooden paddles, the fugitives managed to elude authorities for about five hours before they were caught at the Southwest County Road 141 Bridge after a nine mile journey down the river.

They would have gotten away with it if the cops didn't have one of those cutting-edge "motor" boats.

Officials used K9s to track the fugitives on foot and then a motorboat to chase and catch the fugitives on the river. Now the two men are going up the river, so to speak. (Crimesider)

ONLY IN FLORIDA do manatees predict the winning Super Bowl team.

A six-year winning streak was on the line as manatees at the aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota made their Super Bowl picks this week.

The two sea-mammals, named "Buffett" and "Hugh," made their choices by picking from two signs with the helmets of the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks that were held in their tank.

Buffett, who has chosen the winning team for the past six years, chose Denver. Hugh, Buffett's half-brother, chose Seattle. Hugh has been right the past four out of six times.

ONLY IN FLORIDA is the news so insane that Buzzfeed came up with a quiz for it.

The popular website is asking readers to take the poll titled, Which Kind Of Insane Florida News Story Best Fits Your Personality?

After answering a series of questions about your musical and pop culture tastes, you find out what kind of Florida craziness best describes you.

Melissa Ross took the quiz and was told that the story that best describes her is “guy who died after winning a roach eating contest.” Patrick Donges got the "dog that shot a guy with a 9mm handgun."

Send your ONLY IN FLORIDA suggestions to firstcoastconnect@wjct.org.

You can follow Melissa Ross on Twitter @MelissainJax Patrick Donges on Twitter at @patrickhdonges.

Melissa Ross joined WJCT in 2009 with 20 years of experience in broadcasting, including stints in Cincinnati, Chicago, Orlando and Jacksonville. During her career as a television and radio news anchor and reporter, Melissa has won four regional Emmys for news and feature reporting.
Patrick Donges served as WJCT's Digital Content Editor from August 2013 - August 2014.