Story Tags: cryptid // unexplained // lore & legends
Story Topics:

Florida Cryptids / Urban Legends Iceberg Chart

Explanation Video: https://youtu.be/LkRXHtI5Nvk

Further Reading/Sources:

• 1988 Mermaid Sighting: https://www.scribd.com/document/476428798/Florida-Man-Meets-Florida-Mermaid

• 1992 Alien Sighting: (Witnessed by Katherine Francovich) https://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/1992-may-ufo-alien-sightings/

I made this Iceberg Chart months ago, but if I could, I'd def move around some entries like the Bayside Mall Incident being higher up, but what do y'all think?

Notes:

Katie’s Notes

Story Setting

News Articles

Online Forums

The scariest thing I’ve ever seen or experienced in Florida is ____________

Story Tags: crime // murder // childhood // house // college
Story Topics: neighbor // birthday

Reply by u/skoalnole:

My next door neighbor of 5 years+ beheaded his wife with a sword. Their 11yr son saw so he ran outside. His dad caught up to him and got him with the sword also. My dad and I were out back hitting baseballs when we heard yelling. By the time we got outside front our neighbor, F***** was walking casually back inside, still wielding the sword. My dad said "What's up F*****" he replied back "What's up D***" and walked back into the house with the sword. By neighbor I mean we shared the same front yard so were less than 10 yards from the guy who just killed his wife and son (on his 11th bday)

We found out hours later what he did but pretty scary being Steps away from him with the sword still in his hands.

His wife was the sweetest lady and his son was my good friend. F***** was my basketball coach and drove me to every game and was constantly over at my house. Left the names * 'ed because he didn't get life and I'm still scared.

What's crazy is years later, in a college class, we were studying cases where defendants claimed insanity and the professor used this case. I saw his face again. caught me off guard.

I don't remember his exact sentence but remember he was declared insane

Notes:

Katie’s Notes:

• mayyyy wanna add a TW for child death
• If anything is behind a paywall, copy the URL & use removepaywall.com

Story Setting

• Year: 2006
• Location: Lake Mary, Seminole County, Florida
• Duzant’s Previous Address (c. 2017): 18 Phillips Street New London, Connecticut 06320

News Articles

• Tampa Bay Times: Wife, son found hacked to death
• Orlando Sentinel: Insanity led man to kill his family, defense says
• Orlando Sentinel: Items in home might suggest slaying motive
• The Associated Press: Man not guilty because of insanity

Online Forums

• Web Sleuths: FL - Evangeline, 52, & Nico Duzant, 11, murdered, Lake Mary, 16 June 2006 Insanity

The scariest thing I’ve ever seen or experienced in Florida is ____________

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Reply by u/DanHam117:

I was drinking at Chili’s in Winter Park once and this game named Larry came and sat down next to me and my girlfriend. Within 3 minutes of small talk he tells us to Google his name. We do, and the first thing that pops up is an article about his wife attempting a murder-suicide where she shot him in the head and then shot herself. Except he survived. Then he starts complaining that they made him wait a really long time before he was allowed to go back to his job as a construction worker, and that the police trashed his house because they responded to a call that multiple shots were fired and they broke into the house as if there was an active shooter inside. He says they ripped the door clean off the hinges and there are burn marks everywhere from flash bang grenades. This was his icebreaker.

Posted on another thread:

Years ago, I lived in Florida. My girlfriend (now wife) and I went to a Chili’s one night to get some drinks with her co-workers. After they left, we went back inside to the bar for one more drink because it was still early and we lived nearby. This older guy walks in and sits down a few stools away from us and immediately starts giving us some lighthearted shit about football, then notices my girlfriend typing something on her phone. Within 60 seconds of meeting us, he decided to drop this:

“Oh, you like looking things up on them phones huh? Google my name.”

We Google his name and the first result is a news article that names him as the victim of an attempted murder-suicide by his wife. She shot him in the head, then shot herself in the head right after. She died, he didn’t. Police came after a call of shots fired, they found him unconscious but alive, medflighted him to a hospital and he woke up later that day.

And that was his icebreaker story!

Edit: grammar

Other replies to this story:

• Lack of a brain to mouth filter is very typical of someone that has suffered a traumatic brain injury. His focus on using this as an icebreaker prob signifies he often uses it as such because it’s still the most important event to him.
  • As someone with brain damage, this is spot on. I got the front of my head split open with a baseball bat at 6 and my entire life has been spent trying to aggressively filter myself and failing. It just doesn’t even register as something that shouldn’t be said, or sometimes I don’t even realize I was speaking to begin with until others react to it. It made school shitty as hell
  • I wonder if the guy had a Traumatic Brain Injury due to the gunshot wound. TBI patients often at least go through a stage of inappropriate behaviors, and sometimes stay at that level depending on the severity of injury. The guy is probably fixated on what happened to him because it was so emotionally traumatic, and has impaired cognition and a poor social filter due to physical trauma.

Notes:

Katie’s Notes

• could also work for Reddit confessions stories — July 2026

Story Setting

• Location: Winter Park (near Orlando), Florida

News Articles

Online Forums

The scariest thing I’ve ever seen or experienced in Florida is ____________

Story Tags: work stories // night
Story Topics:

Reply by u/EcstaticTraffic7:

Working in Ybor City (Tampa) late. Walking to my car and felt like I was being followed. Knew my car was right around a corner on a dark, empty street but I decided to turn the corner and jump in as fast as I could. Unlocked, got in, locked the door, looked in the rear view and the man was just standing at the corner all in shadow looking at my car. He turned to head back toward the main drag, 7th Avenue. I went to start my car and the engine was struggling. I watched as he paused and turned back around to face me yet again. Suddenly my car started and he actually left. This was 20 years ago and it still haunts me.

Notes:

Katie’s Notes

Story Setting

• Location: Ybor City in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida

News Articles

Online Forums

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Reply by u/Dedj_McDedjson:

Yup, reminds me of a redditor who told the story of when they were kidnapped by their estranged father, who drove the whole family out to a lake and then shot the mom in a ritualistic killing.

People tried to search for them and found they weren't even the only one that year in that state to match the exact circumstances.

Notes:

Katie’s Notes

Story Setting

News Articles

Online Forums

The scariest thing I’ve ever seen or experienced in Florida is ____________

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Notes:

Katie’s Notes

Story Setting

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