With tensions heightened as Election Day approaches, there are bound to be civil disagreements across the country–and perhaps especially in Florida, a pivotal swing state.
By now, a great deal of the population is familiar with the search-the-internet birthday game “Florida man.” You type in your birthday without the year and add “Florida man” and see what comes up.
Why has it become a phenomenon? Because of Florida men such as the Haines City 26-year-old who stole a bulldozer and destroyed some Joe Biden campaign signs. Authorities have had multiple reports of Trump and Biden signs taken from private property. Haines City is about an hour’s drive east from Tampa and has a population of just more than 25,000.
According to Spectrum Bay News 9, a local television affiliate, James Blight (yes, Blight) has been accused of stealing a bulldozer from a construction site, driving to a neighborhood, and knocking down the signs.
“This man came onto my property, took the two Joe Biden signs I had in my yard and then came back with a bulldozer to run down my fence,” said Adam Burgess, former vice mayor of Haines City. “Why bring that to our neighborhood? This is a predominantly Black neighborhood and you’re coming over here with that? That’s not right.”
Blight put his plan in action on Saturday with plenty of onlookers who served as capable witnesses. Haines City Police charged Blight with grand theft auto and trespassing.
Cornelius Marion told Spectrum Bay News 9 that Blight “stopped traffic and cussed everybody out. There were four signs on H Street. He took the front loader and dug them up.”
Blight’s defense? Police say the man–the Florida man, that is–claimed he was too drunk to remember the events of the day.
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