Do you, Samantha, take this alligator? We're in love with 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 prison inmates try to hide illegal drugs and end up throwing them into the arms of a deputy.
According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s office, state inmate Parrell Seay was working on a roadside work crew when someone driving by tossed him a small amount of marijuana.
Deputies apparently noticed the event, and told Seay to turn and face a nearby fence. As a deputy went to restrain him, Seay attempted to toss the marijuana away. Instead, he hit the deputy with it.
Seay said he doesn’t know who delivered the drugs, but admitted he was planning to take it back to the state facility with him. (WPTV)
ONLY IN FLORIDA do homeowners respond to code enforcement complaints by painting giant American flags on their houses.
Brent Greer of Bradenton says he feels he’s being treated unfairly by city code enforcement officers who inspected his home in February. This stemmed from an anonymous complaint that a 15-foot-tall Christmas tree on his front porch had fallen over. The officers went on to cite Greer for a list of violations including missing window screens, yard debris and peeling house paint.
Greer — who acknowledges that the 110-year-old house is not in perfect repair — decided to protest parts of the citations by painting his house red, white and blue, complete with stars.
A code enforcement hearing is set for next week. Until then, Greer says he and family intend to add a painted plywood Liberty Bell to the house. (The Washington Post)
ONLY IN FLORIDA do guys use alligators to propose to their girlfriends.
Eric Griemsmann decided to pop the question to his girlfriend Samantha Warner during a trip to Orlando’s Gatorland Zoo attraction back in February.
Samantha, whose favorite animal is the alligator, was chosen from the audience for an “Up Close Encounters” act and blindfolded on stage. When the blindfold was removed, she found Eric down on one knee with an engagement ring tied to a baby alligator.
Samantha said yes, and later told Fox News 8 in her home of Cleveland that she was “secretly more excited to hold the baby alligator than the ring!” The couple plans to marry next year. (Fox 8 Cleveland)
WATCH: Eric Griemsmann and a baby alligator propose at Gatorland Zoo in Orlando
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