Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

Title

“Florida Man”: Public Nuisance or Public Health Concern?

Organization/Association/Group

Farquar Honors College and Alvin Sherman Library

Location

Adolfo and Marisela Cotilla Gallery, Alvin Sherman Library, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Date of original Performance / Presentation

4-11-2023

Abstract

The “Florida Man” collectively refers to male individuals involved in bizarre events and weird crimes across the state of Florida. The term was popularized almost a decade ago with viral news headlines and social media memes and is the object of constant mockery of the often unbelievable and sometimes comical actions of its residents. State policy allowing immediate public access to crime reports drives the mechanism of the “Florida Man” trend, but also highlights the prevalence of critical public health issues associated with these stories.
This Open Classroom frames the “Florida Man” from a public health perspective with a focus on trends in mental illness, substance use, and injuries and emphasizes the importance of prevention and harm reduction interventions to quell the pervasiveness of these events.

Comments

Hosted by Andrea Nevins Ph.D., M.F.A.

The Open Classroom series is a collaboration between the Farquhar Honors College and the Alvin Sherman Library.

Disciplines

Other Mental and Social Health | Other Public Health | Social Media | State and Local Government Law

Keywords

Florida, Florida Man, mental health, social media, Sunshine Law

COinS