People who enjoy the outdoors, warm weather, and amusement parks flock to Florida as not only a vacation destination, but a great place to live. Regardless of where in Florida you are, you're never more than 60 miles from the ocean. However, if you choose to belt out a tune while enjoying the beach in your swimwear, you could be fined! Yes, it's prohibited to sing in public while wearing a bikini! We are not exactly sure how stringent the enforcement is of this statute, however, that got us thinking: what other legal quirks does Florida have? When legislation is placed for what appears to be a legitimate reason, it is often forgotten about and never withdrawn from the books, even when the reason for the law or statute retreats into obscurity. Particular laws are quirky, irritating, and just plain amusing after a few generations.
Here are a few of the odd ones you'll see while enjoying the Sunshine state:
- Sarasota’s fine for striking a pedestrian is ONLY $78!
Despite the city's ridiculously low fine, you can bet the subsequent litigation will cost more. Keeping the automobile on the road and keeping an eye out for pedestrians will help you avoid an accident, especially in crowded beach areas where people often run across the street outside sidewalks.
- Taking a horse is punishable by death
Stealing an automobile with hundreds of horsepower can result in a five-year prison sentence and $5,000 in fines. However, taking an animal with just one horsepower can result in much harsher penalties, even death! Next time you are in Wellington, or Ocala; think twice!
- In a cemetery, it is against the law to drive over the graves
Off-roading and four-wheeling are fun, but avoid the cemetery while you're out there. This one kind of makes sense, from the sense of respect and honor. Just don't do it!
- Driving too slowly can result in a ticket
Getting a ticket for driving too slowly is just as common, although a lot more embarrassing, than getting a penalty for driving too fast. The safety of other drivers can be jeopardized if you are going slower than the flow of traffic.
- People in Pensacola must have at least $10 in their wallets to drive down the street
You bet you'll be in trouble if it just so happens that you have $9 or less! We are fairly sure this law was made before credit cards were a thing, so we'd be VERY surprised if this law is still enforceable.
- If you park your elephant, you'll have to pay a parking fine
For all those customers contacting us to help register your vehicle elephant in Florida, remember: it's against the law to park with an elephant, goat, or alligator tied to the parking meter.
Now that you know, here we go. This collection of the most outlandish, strange, and mind-boggling state "laws" is complete. We hope you had a good time and learned something new about your state, the state with the best climate, and the most bizarre traffic laws in the country! If you have a vehicle other than an elephant or alligator to register to be able to legally drive in our Sunshine State, be sure to contact us!