8 Wild Misconceptions About Florida, Debunked

Do Florida Man stories really happen all that often in Florida? And does the Sunshine State really have the most alligators?

Florida is often the butt of many jokes. But people often get a lot wrong about the state. Let’s debunk some of the big myths about Florida, as adapted from the above episode of Misconceptions on YouTube.

1. Misconception: Florida has the greatest population of old people in the United States.
2. Misconception: Florida has more alligators than any other state.
3. Misconception: The southernmost point in the United States is in Florida.
4. Misconception: The weather in Florida is always warm.
5. Misconception: The real Fountain of Youth is there.
6. Misconception: Florida was the first choice for Walt Disney World.
7. Misconception: Florida has the largest crop of oranges in the U.S.
8. Misconception: The Eccentric “Florida Man” is a normal occurrence.

Misconception: Florida has the greatest population of old people in the United States.

Between its theme parks, beaches, wildlife, and sometimes eccentric citizens, Florida lands in the news quite a bit. But not everything you hear is true. You may be under the impression that Florida is the top place for retirees to relax on the lanai and enjoy some hard-earned cheesecake, but there’s actually another state that tops it when it comes to the largest population of people over 65. According to 2020 Census data, California has 6 million residents who are 65 or older, compared to the Sunshine State’s 4.5 million [PDF]. California has a much larger population, so what about percentage of population? Florida’s still second, with 21.2 percent of the population versus Maine’s 21.8. 

Misconception: Florida has more alligators than any other state.

There are roughly 5 million alligators in the U.S. With stories like golf course attacks, gators hiding in stormwater pipes, and even a man losing his arm to an alligator after fighting it behind a bar, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking most of those 5 million gators reside in Florida. There are over a million alligators roaming the state, but the gator population in another state takes the cake. As of 2023, Louisiana had 2 million wild and 1 million farmed alligators—so many, in fact, that there has been a push to expand alligator hunting season to help control the population.

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Misconception: The southernmost point in the United States is in Florida.

You’ve probably seen the giant buoy landmark in Key West, in photos if not in reality. But it’s not actually the southernmost point in the entire U.S. That distinction belongs to South Point Complex, the tip of the Island of Hawai’i on Ka Lae. Puerto Rico—which has been a U.S. territory since 1898—is also located south of Key West. And if we’re including territories, the overall winner is actually Rose Atoll in American Samoa, which is in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Key West isn’t even the southernmost part of Florida. That title is usually given to Ballast Key, which is slightly farther south. Key West is more the southernmost point of the lower 48 that is easily reachable by tourists—which is probably a bit long to fit on a buoy. And that famous buoy isn’t even on Key West’s southernmost point. According to a 1997 Miami Herald article, officials determined it came in fourth, saying, “The real southernmost point is at the Navy base … Next comes the White Street pier and third the end of Duval.” 

Misconception: The weather in Florida is always warm.

Florida is the Sunshine State for a reason, but there are definitely days where the mercury doesn’t rise much. It depends where you are, of course—in Key West, it only dips to a balmy 64° F [PDF]. But in the state capital of Tallahassee up north near the border, low can easily hit the low 40s in the winter. Tallahassee also happens to hold the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in the state—-2° F in 1899.

Cold snaps do have a particularly interesting affect in Florida: they can cause iguanas to fall from trees.

Misconception: The real Fountain of Youth is there.

Let’s just say we don’t know for sure that the real Fountain of Youth is not in Florida, but signs point to probably not. First, a refresher on the legend: In the 16th century, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon set off on an expedition to find the Fountain of Youth, a mythical water source that appears in tales dating back centuries. After searching the world over, Ponce de Leon stumbled upon the spring of eternal youth after arriving in what is now St. Augustine, Florida, in 1513. (Clearly, it didn’t do him much good, because he died in 1521 while he was still in his forties). Today, you can pay $20 to sip from the Fountain and see if you feel a little more spry.

The truth? Not only is there no historical record that Ponce de Leon was searching for a fountain of any kind, some historians believe he actually landed in Melbourne, Florida, not St. Augustine. So how did the whole legend start? It may have actually been a joke made by historians who were insinuating that the explorer was seeking the Fountain of Youth so he could keep up with ladies who were much younger than him. And not centuries later—we’re talking less than two decades after he died. Which probably explains the misconception’s staying power.

The Fountain in St. Augustine is a tourist attraction founded in the early 1900s by an eccentric local woman named Luella McConnell. And just to add insult to injury over this whole myth, the spring water apparently doesn’t even taste good. One former worker said, “Imagine what you would think the Fountain of Youth would taste like. It doesn’t taste like that.”

Misconception: Florida was the first choice for Walt Disney World.

Despite the year-round warm temps and subtropical climate, Orlando was not top on Walt Disney’s list for a second theme park. He actually came very close to erecting a park in St. Louis, Missouri. Why? Walt grew up in Missouri and had a soft spot for the classic Americana of riverboats and Mark Twain, which very nearly sealed the deal in 1964. The park, deemed Riverfront Square, would have included a Lewis and Clark ride, a theater, and a ride where you visited the lair of some Caribbean pirates—years before a similar concept opened up in Disneyland. Unlike the other Disney parks, this one would have been entirely enclosed.

But plans fell through when Disney and the city couldn’t agree on how much money the city would kick in for development. He moved on, fell in love with the wide open space and Orlando’s position near major roads, and the rest is history.

Misconception: Florida has the largest crop of oranges in the U.S.

Historically, yes, Florida has been the nation’s biggest producer of oranges. But lately—not so much. In 2022, Florida experienced the worst year for its orange crop since World War II, down 50 percent from normal due to damage from Hurricane Ian, as well as a disease called citrus greening. All this means California has surpassed Florida as the biggest supplier of oranges in the U.S.

Citrus greening, in particular, has been negatively impacting Florida oranges for nearly 20 years, with the blight causing production to drop from 220 million boxes annually in the early 2000s to just 16 million.

The decline impacts your brunch habits: Ninety percent of Florida’s oranges are used for juicing, so your daily glass of OJ is getting more expensive.

Misconception: The Eccentric “Florida Man” is a normal occurrence.

The “Florida Man Does (insert absurd crime/activity)” headlines that abound on the internet are not a reflection of Floridians as a whole. It’s commonly said that one of the main reasons for the news constantly picking them up is that the state boasts one of the “most robust public records laws in the nation.” It’s very easy and accessible to find arrest records and even video footage from said arrests; most states don’t make it so easy to find the absurd crimes that happen there every day.

But this itself might be a misconception [PDF]. Writing in the Florida State University Law Review, American University Law Professor Ira P. Robbins argued that the things Florida’s Public Records Law make uniquely available are not necessarily the same things required for a good Florida Man story. Mugshots especially are much more readily available in Florida, but Florida Man stories don’t always have mugshots. The things that make up the meat and potatoes of a Florida Man story, Robbins claims, are accessible in most states. 

Robbins argues the real reason behind the popularity of Florida Man stories is … the popularity of Florida Man stories. As he wrote in a paper about the subject:

“[T]here is no question about the roles that the internet and popular culture play. Social media platforms are the venues in which the Florida Man phenomenon took off; the platforms even provide additional sources for journalists in reporting Florida Man stories. Social media users were receptive to the phenomenon due to some existing familiarity with Florida as an offbeat place and the pervasiveness of memes in modern-day popular culture. Florida Man’s popularity in itself both motivates journalists to write more on Florida Man and inspires internet users to share the meme with their networks, further enhancing Florida Man’s popularity.”

Florida and its inhabitants have been the subject of jokes for decades, so if you hear a story about Nebraska Man you might think “OK …” but if you hear about Florida Man you think “yeah, this makes sense.”

And as Robbins points out, all the open record laws in the world don’t matter if people aren’t reporting on the stories. There’s not an appetite for Nebraska Man articles so nobody does the legwork. But a Florida Man story goes viral, gets clicks, and inspires people to request records for the next viral Florida Man story.

Which argument is right? Impossible to tell, but what we do know is that Florida’s violent crime rate is almost exactly on par with the national average. The Florida Man archetype is definitely a combination of confirmation bias and a smidge of truth.