20 Weird Laws to be Aware of in Florida

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20 Weird Laws to be Aware of in Florida

Florida is well known around the world for the sunny weather, beautiful beaches and the countless number of theme parks. Like many other states in United States, Florida is not short of weird laws. These are laws that were very applicable and relevant in the 80s and 90s when legislators sat down to enact laws.

Over time, these laws are nothing short of weird and hilarious to some extent. Some of these laws outlaw singing in a swimsuit for instance. Let’s have a look at the Top 20 Weird Laws to be aware of Florida.

 1. It is illegal to feed alligators

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This law outlaws feeding wild alligators or crocodiles in the State of Florida. This is part of the Wildlife Conservation Act of Florida. It was enacted to make it criminally punishable for people to try to hunt, trap and kill gators and crocs for their hides. The laws against trapping were only effective if the poachers were successful in catching or killing at least one animal.  With the addition of statute 372.667, it became illegal to ever try to hunt or ‘molest’ these creatures while in their natural habitats.

2. It is illegal to fart in any public place in the state of Florida after 6:00 PM

If you’re going to be visiting the Sunshine State anytime soon, stay g away from too many baked beans. Unless you’re planning to stay home or in your hotel room that night. That’s because it is illegal to fart in any public place in the state of Florida after 6:00 PM.

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3. It is illegal to sell oranges on along public roadways in Miami Beach

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That’s because there is a local ordinance making it illegal to sell the State fruit along public roadways in Miami Beach. If you do, and you get caught then you might land yourself a fine or a jail term.

4. It is illegal to sell your kids for extra cash

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In case you didn’t know, it is against the law to sell your children in the state of Florida. Of particular note, however, is that this statute doesn’t even mention if it’s also illegal to sell someone else’s children.

5. It is illegal to engage in dwarf tossing

Dwarf Tossing is seriously frowned upon in the Sunshine State. According to Florida law, if you own a bar or pub and anyone on the premises engages in the sport of Draft Tossing, all persons involved are in a lot of trouble. Fines, arrests, and serious jail time are all on the table if you get caught participating in this nefarious activity anywhere in Florida.

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7. It is illegal to drunk sing in a swimsuit

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In Florida, public intoxication usually occurs on a beach since the giant peninsula state has some 825 miles of them. Because most publicly loaded folks in Florida are on a beach, there’s also a better than average chance that most of those happy beachgoers are wearing some kind of swimsuit. However, the makes it illegal for such people to sing in their swimsuits. This is to prevent chaos and disorderly conduct.

8. It is illegal to fall asleep under a hairdryer

Falling asleep while under a hairdryer is just as much against the law in Florida as public singing in a swimsuit is. Sadly, this behavior could very easily end up getting both the client and the hairdresser fined heavily.  Fortunately for all of us, unless there’s a cop that happens to be sitting in the next chair, most people get away with this ‘crime.’

 9. You must pay at a meter for not only your car but also your elephant

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In the event you decide to ride your elephant, your gator, your pig, your horse, or even your riding lawnmower to a location in Florida that has metered parking, you must pay at the meter. The statute specifically states that the owners of animals like elephants and pigs must pay at the parking meter.

10. Licenses are required to make skateboarding tricks

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Florida is the only state in America that requires skateboarders who are working to ‘make’ their ‘tricks’ to apply for and obtain a special license to do so in any place that isn’t a dedicated skateboarding park. This law was enacted to prevent people from getting injuries while practicing.

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11. It is illegal to indulge in disorderly conduct

It is illegal to engage in ‘disorderly conduct’ or ‘disorderly persons offenses.’ These offenses are often things like bar fights, drinking in public, and possession of an open container of alcoholic beverages. 

Florida has statute 877.03 which establishes that you can be charged with a 2nd-degree misdemeanor in Florida if it’s determined that you do something they refer to as ‘outraging the sense of public decency’ or something else they refer to as ‘affecting the peace and quiet of persons who may witness them.

12. Men are prohibited from wearing strapless dresses in public places

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If you happen to be one of those men who sincerely cares about fashion, you might want to pay particularly close attention to this one. Florida has a little-known statute that prohibits men from wearing strapless dresses in public places. The statute only applies to strapless dresses specifically. That means that men are free to wear any other kind of dress they might like either in public, or anyplace else for that matter.

13. Public building doors are required by code to open outward

It is required that all public building doors are required by code to open outward. The law specifically states that this is because of the frequent extreme weather conditions the state often has to deal with.

The law also makes sense in the event of  potentially catastrophic events like fires, earthquakes or active shooter scenarios. Having doors that open outward to will facilitate the expedited departures. 

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14. It is illegal for unmarried women to parachute on Sundays

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Florida has a law on the books that makes it not just illegal, but highly illegal, for unmarried women to parachute on Sundays. I do not know if this was just a way to prevent women from having fun on Sunday or it was an agenda by the men to have the women take care of kids on the weekends while they had all the fun. It is important to consider that back in the days, most legislators were men.

15. It is illegal to have sex with a porcupine

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Florida has passed a law that makes it against the law to have any sort of sexual relations with a porcupine. From protecting wild animals such a porcupine from mistreatment to actually protecting citizens, the purpose of this law is quite wild.

16. You cannot tell people your souvenirs are From Florida or Fresh from Florida

Sta. 571.29 makes it a criminal act to claim your souvenirs are “From Florida” or “Fresh From Florida.” You are only allowed to do so if you are registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture. This mostly applied to souvenirs that were agricultural in nature. My wildest guess would be that this was done in an effort to protect intellectual property.

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17. It is illegal to hang clothes from a clothesline in Cape Coral

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According to Cape Coral’s ordinances, you cannot hang your clothes to dry outside on a clothesline. Make sure you have space inside your house or a dryer so that you do not have to choose between damp clothes and the law. Well, talk of weird!

18. In Tampa, it is illegal to eat cottage cheese after 6pm on Sunday

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If you happen to have a craving for cottage cheese after 6 pm on a Sunday in Tampa, it may be best to find another type of cheese to eat. It seems to be unknown as to why this law exists, but if you want to be cautious, you may want to eat your cottage cheese in private on a Sunday evening. However, back in the days such Sunday-oriented laws were enacted to make sure people went to church.

19. You can’t live with a partner if unmarried

Of course some of the weird laws in Florida are just plain outdated. Living with a partner before marriage was much more taboo back in 1868 when the law was established. However, today you will find that a majority of the population that lives together are actually unmarried.

20. It is illegal to shower naked

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This is just outright weird. The whole point of showering is cleaning up the body. And it is very necessary to conduct this exercise while naked. However, the legislators of Florida had other ideas.