Florida Man is at it again.
On February 24, a Florida man tried to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin and the potential threat of nuclear war to wiggle his way out of a speeding ticket.
The interaction was captured through body camera footage and shared by the sheriff's department that pulled the man over.
The video from the Flagler County Sheriff Department was shared on their Facebook page with the caption:
" #TrafficTuesday calls for some #CopHumor… Enjoy & drive safely, #Flagler! #FCSO #TruthTuesday ..."
In the video, the deputy pulled the man over and asked for his license and registration.
The deputy explained the man was driving 50mph in a 30mph zone and he also ran a stop sign. The interaction seemed to be going pretty normal, with the man pulling out typical excuses for why he was speeding.
He said he was looking at his dashboard and he couldn't figure out how to get the car out of "sport mode." Then he claimed he sped up to get out of the way of another driver.
When the deputy doesn't budge, he transitioned seamlessly into explaining he was actually speeding because he was worried about Vladimir Putin threatening "nuclear thermal war" and he wanted to get home.
You have to give it to the guy, times are pretty scary and he does make a convincing case.
As he told the deputy:
“I just found out that Putin just said he’s going to launch nuclear thermal war against the world, and I was trying to get back to my house to find out what’s going on."
While the deputy didn't seem to buy it, some people were convinced by this logic.
Or at least impressed with his gall.
People on Twitter gave Florida man some creativity points.
One commenter on the Flagler County Sheriff's Facebook wrote it wasn't completely lor
Flagler County Sheriff Department/Facebook
Another thought it was a pretty brilliant tactic he might try in the future.
Flagler County Sheriff Department/Facebook
A few commenters from NBC 2's coverage of the incident gave this Florida man some serious props.
WBBH-TV
One Twitter user admitted she also once invoked a current crisis to get out of a speeding ticket.
A Facebook commenter agreed it's natural to feel worried about impending disasters and act hastily but "it doesn't make it right."
Flagler County Sheriff Department/Facebook
A number of people were quick to notice despite the irreverent nature of this body cam video, there were some disparities in how this man was treated versus how other individuals, particularly people of color, are treated when stopped by law enforcement.
One commenter was frustrated at how quickly this body cam footage hit airwaves.
WBBH-TV
Some on Twitter noted the same thing.
Regardless of motives or morals, the internet agreed this whole situation is very...Florida.
Oh, Florida, you never fail to be interesting.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
