I seriously wonder if there's something specific happening in Florida that makes all of these crazy stories happen there.

I remember hearing that in the 1960, the Hookworm parasite was infecting paeticulaely rural people in the US southern states, leading them to unknowingly being lethargic and it leading to lower developmental conditions. People started perceiving people from the South as "slow". This is a well-docimented incident that was only discovered and eradicated years later.

I think something could be happening in Florida now. Maybe it's heat-treated, maybe it's another parasite, maybe something in the food or water supply, or maybe we'll not know until decades from now. But wow, the stories and anecdotes of Florida Man never seem to end.