You probably know the drill by now. You wake up, open your phone, and see that a guy in a flamingo shirt has tried to use a live shark as a bottle opener. It’s the "Florida Man" phenomenon. Honestly, it's basically a national pastime at this point. But if you’re looking for a specific flavor of chaos, Florida Man October 27 delivers some of the most bizarrely specific headlines in the entire calendar year.
Why October 27? Maybe it’s the pre-Halloween energy. Or maybe the humidity finally just breaks the internal compass of the state’s most eccentric residents. Whatever it is, the police reports from this date read like a fever dream.
The Clown, the Grenade, and the Expired Tag
Let’s talk about Louis Wyatt Branson. Back in 2021, on October 27, this 65-year-old from Palatka became a legend for all the wrong reasons. It started with a simple traffic stop in Bunnell because his tags were expired. Boring, right? Wrong.
When deputies approached the truck, they weren't just looking at Louis. They were looking at a clown mannequin sitting shotgun. Just staring straight ahead. No seatbelt. No pulse. Just creepy vibes.
But the mannequin wasn't even the problem. While searching the truck, deputies found a sealed can. Inside? A live grenade.
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"Oh, shoot, is this for real?" – A Flagler County deputy on bodycam footage.
Branson’s excuse was classic Florida. He told police he found the explosive "three or four years ago" while cleaning a veteran’s house. He just... kept it. In a can. Next to a clown. He ended up facing a laundry list of charges, including possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and various drug charges.
The Lowe’s Messiah of Palm Bay
If a grenade-toting clown isn't weird enough, let’s go back to 2017. Imagine you’re just trying to buy some mulch or a new light fixture. You’re at the Lowe’s in Palm Bay, minding your own business.
Suddenly, a 52-year-old man named Terry Wayne Brothers approaches you. He isn't there to give DIY advice. Instead, he claims he is Jesus Christ. To prove his divinity—or perhaps just to ensure he got everyone's attention—he proceeded to flash customers.
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Police were called, obviously. It turns out that claiming to be the son of God doesn't actually grant you immunity from indecent exposure laws in Brevard County. He was arrested on October 27 and booked into the local jail.
Driving at Congresswomen and 150 Pounds of Weed
October 27 seems to be a big day for vehicular madness. In 2004, a man in Sarasota was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His weapon of choice? A silver Cadillac. His target? Congresswoman Katherine Harris.
The man allegedly sped toward Harris and her supporters at an intersection, swerving away at the very last second just to intimidate them. The kicker? He later showed up at the police station to complain that her campaign group was "impeding traffic." Talk about a bold strategy.
Then you have the 2014 case of Michael John Wojciechowski. He wasn't even in Florida when he got caught, but the "Florida Man" energy followed him all the way to Idaho. State police found him sleeping in his semi-truck during a construction delay. When they checked on him, they found 150 pounds of marijuana in the cab. That’s about $500,000 worth of cargo. He was just trying to take a nap.
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Why This Specific Date Hits Different
There’s a reason people do the "Florida Man Birthday Challenge." You Google "Florida Man" plus your birth date and see what crime matches your soul. If you were born on October 27, you’ve got a diverse portfolio:
- Intimidating politicians with luxury cars.
- Transporting literal explosives with circus props.
- Divine intervention in the plumbing aisle.
- Massive drug hauls during nap time.
It’s easy to laugh, but these stories actually highlight something unique about Florida’s Sunshine Laws. Florida has incredibly broad public records laws (specifically Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes). This means journalists get access to police reports and mugshots much faster and with more detail than in other states.
Is Florida weirder than Ohio? Maybe. But in Florida, the weirdness is public record by lunchtime.
What You Can Learn From the October 27 Files
If you find yourself in the Sunshine State toward the end of October, take some common-sense precautions. First, if you find a grenade while cleaning a house, please call the bomb squad instead of putting it in your glove box. Second, keep your mannequin-to-human ratio in your vehicle at a reasonable level.
Most importantly, remember that "Florida Man" is a symptom of a state that values transparency. If you're going to do something "maniacal," just know that a reporter is already typing up the headline.
Next Steps for You:
Check your own vehicle registration to make sure you aren't giving police a reason to find your "clown mannequins," and if you're curious about other dates, you can search the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) public records database for specific historical arrest trends in your county.