Florida has quite the reputation. With Florida Man making his rounds in the news every so often, the public eye is often centered on our beautiful state when it comes to legal happenings. While many laws have come into play for a good reason, it’s safe to say that some of the laws in Florida are downright silly. It almost makes you wonder: what exactly happened here to establish such a precedent to justify these laws? The world may never know.
That said -- without further ado -- here are five downright ridiculous laws that got a raised eyebrow and a quizzical “huh?” out of me. Try one of these and you might get to be the next Florida Man - though your expired registration ticket will never make the national news.
1) You shall not drive, or park, over a grave in Destin.
It seems like common courtesy to not joyride over the recently interred, but apparently not everyone got this memo. Hence, this seemingly common-sense law had to be established to help prompt people show proper respect to the deceased. Keep off the burial lawn, folks! Gosh. Don’t you have any manners?
2) Couches belong in your house, not on your carport.
While having wicker furniture on your porch is a good idea for enjoying our admittedly awesome (albeit hot!) weather, dragging an old sofa onto your carport in Cape Coral is an outright forbidden practice. I mean, it does makes sense. Your air conditioning works better indoors, after all.
3) Swamp buggies are not motor vehicles.
While it’s not unusual to see our seniors traversing around their neighborhoods in motorized golf carts, Florida legislators have drawn a firm line when it comes to swamp buggies. Swamp buggies are not road legal and are not allowed on our roadways. They belong in our swamps, not on the streets. End of discussion.
4) Neither are barrels, apparently.
For many years, the city of Pensacola had a law on the books that stated that you were not permitted to roll a barrel down its city streets. This law later was expanded to include wheelbarrows. While it’s since been expunged from the records, its ghost still remains. I guess barrel rolling was faster than walking? I dunno, this one’s a puzzle to me!
5) Elephants are not to freeload at city meters.
Here’s another factoid of unverified historical accuracy but lots of word-of-mouth confirmation. Back when the Ringling Bros. Circus was a big name in Florida, it was reported that the performers would leave their elephants loitering at the parking meters. This was understandably unfair to other people who wanted these coveted parking spots, so a law was passed that required you to feed the meter if you parked your elephant there. The question remains, though: did it take peanuts?
South Florida is such a great place to live, quirky laws and all! Sure, we got our share of goofiness, but for the most part, our laws typically serve a good purpose. Despite seeming more than a little bit outlandish, they were put in place for a reason – right? I mean, I’m not here with a law degree to analyze these laws. I’m just sharing them as I find them. But if you want to avoid any legal complications while driving in South Florida, it’s best you pay attention to these (and our other) laws!
Legal driving in Florida means that paperwork is a must. We're lucky we don't have to do it at the FLHSMV! Contact us for quick Pompano Beach registration renewals!
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