Ever since the "Florida Man Challenge" exploded on social media, January 24 has become a sort of unofficial high holiday for people who love the absolute chaos of the Sunshine State. If you haven't done it yet, the game is simple. You type "Florida Man" followed by your birthday into Google and see what kind of headline pops up. For those born on January 24, the results are... well, they’re exactly what you’d expect from a state where the official bird should probably be a lawn chair flying through a hurricane.
But behind the memes, there is some actual, weird history here.
The Easter Bunny Incident of January 24
If you look up Florida man Jan 24, the heavy hitter that usually dominates the search results is the 2020 case of Antoine Tyrkee McDonald. This wasn't your average neighborhood crime. McDonald was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Seminole County while he was—wait for it—wearing a full-body Easter Bunny costume.
Think about that for a second.
You’re a state trooper. You get a call about a motorcycle hitting a carport and a fence. You track the suspect to a getaway car, pull it over, and find a guy lying in the back seat dressed as a giant rabbit. Honestly, how do you even write that report without laughing? The Florida Highway Patrol did their best, but the image of a limping Easter Bunny being hauled off to jail became an instant classic in the Florida Man hall of fame. McDonald was trying to evade arrest with the help of some friends in a Nissan Rogue, but the ears probably gave him away.
Frozen Borders and Federal Charges
Not everything on this date is a punchline. Sometimes, the headlines take a dark, almost cinematic turn. On January 24, 2022, a Florida man named Steve Shand made national news for something far more serious than a costume. Shand, a resident of Deltona, appeared in a Minnesota court that day after being caught in a human-smuggling scheme at the U.S.-Canada border.
It was a grim story.
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Shand was arrested while driving a 15-passenger van through a sub-zero blizzard. While he was being processed, authorities found the bodies of a family of four, including an infant, who had frozen to death just meters from the border. It’s a reminder that the "Florida Man" isn't always a guy wrestling a gator in a Publix parking lot; sometimes, it involves real-world tragedies that cross international lines.
More Recent Jan 24 Madness
Because Florida never sleeps, the January 24 news cycle keeps churning. In 2025, a West Palm Beach man named Shannon Depararra Atkins was arrested on the night of January 24 after allegedly making online threats against the President. Police caught up with him during a traffic stop just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago.
He didn't just have a warrant; he also reportedly had cocaine on him.
Then you have the 2023 "Burglary Boot" blunder. A guy named Justin McCall in Okaloosa County was trying to break into a car when he accidentally shot himself in the leg with a stolen gun. To make it even more "Florida," when he was caught, he was wearing a pair of boots he had allegedly stolen from a different victim's garage earlier that night.
Why is Florida Man so... Florida?
People always ask why this state produces such specific, weird headlines. There are a few theories:
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- The Sunshine Law: Florida has incredibly broad public records laws. While other states keep arrest details quiet, Florida makes it easy for journalists to see every weird thing that happens in a police precinct.
- The Heat: It’s hot. People get cranky. They make bad choices involving reptiles and power tools.
- The Demographics: You’ve got a mix of tourists, retirees, and people just trying to survive the humidity, creating a cocktail of unpredictability.
Dealing With Your Own Florida Man Results
If you’re doing the Florida man Jan 24 search for your own birthday, take the results with a grain of salt. These headlines are often the worst five minutes of someone's life turned into a 15-minute internet sensation.
If you want to track these stories properly, don't just rely on TikTok snippets. Check the local sheriff's offices in places like Pasco, Polk, and Volusia counties—those are the real hotspots for the truly bizarre stuff. You can also use the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) public access system if you want to see the actual documents behind the memes.
Just remember: if you ever find yourself in Florida on January 24, maybe leave the Easter Bunny costume at home and keep your hands off the local wildlife.