The new Netflix series Florida Man has many fictional elements but is inspired by true, headlining events. Here’s the real story behind the fiction.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Florida Man.
Netflix’s new limited series Florida Man has a fictional storyline and characters but is inspired by true stories. The Florida Man series follows a former cop named Mike Valentine (Edgar Ramírez) who was raised in Florida. After losing his job and his wife, Mike agrees to find a mobster’s missing girlfriend in order to pay off the debt he owes him. He returns to Florida in search of the woman, in whom he’s also romantically interested. Mike’s pursuit leads him to a series of chaotic experiences that happen to him and the people around him, all taking place in Florida.
The reputation of the sunshine state as a place where bizarre and dangerous things happen is certainly at play in Netflix’s Florida Man, which takes inspiration from these scenarios without reenacting true stories. The show is inspired by the internet-famous “Florida Man” meme that has been popular online over the last ten years. The events in the series are based on real-life newspaper and magazine headlines that document some very specifically absurd or unlawful actions done by men who live in Florida. Each headline begins with “Florida man” and describes an unbelievable course of action by a Florida resident.
Florida Man Is Inspired By Real Events (But Doesn’t Replicate Them)
Florida Man expands on the funny internet meme and turns it into a seven-episode series based on headlining situations, making it one of 2023’s most anticipated Netflix shows. A few of the situations in the fictional series were inspired by real-life headlines but did not depict the actual circumstances of any true story. One of the real-life “Florida Man” headlines was “Florida Man Is Killed In a Porta-Potty”. In reality, a man was tragically run over by another man driving a bulldozer while he was inside a port-a-potty. The driver was unaware that anybody was inside. In the Netflix series, a character dies in a port-a-potty, but by different means involving an explosion.
Why Netflix’s Florida Man Is Better Not Repeating Real Events
Netflix’s Florida Man made a smart choice by not replicating real-life events. For legal reasons, it was wise not to involve any of the actual people who inspired some of the story’s events. This likely avoided any libel or defamation lawsuits. It was also a good financial in the event that any of the real persons involved would seek compensation if Netflix had used anyone’s real name or likeness. The show is enhanced for entertainment purposes as well. While the “Florida Man” events share a common theme, they are widely unrelated to each other. Forming the show’s plot by connecting each real-life headline would have felt forced and unrealistic as a work of fiction, making Florida Man better for not taking that direction.
