That Florida has some of the weirdest news in the country at this point is a foregone conclusion. Books and regular newspaper columns have been written about weird Florida. A Twitter account is dedicated to strange news that starts with "A Florida man...." And snarky news site "Fark" has a category just for Florida news (you'll often see News 13 headlines there).
What follows is a list, with links, of some of the weird stories in our part of Florida this year. At the end of the story, feel free to tell us the weird news story you remember most.
Gators, Bees and Bears, oh my!
No weird news story list in Florida is complete without animals, and Central Florida has its fair share.
A Lake County deputy took down a gator near Clermont Middle School in March, duct taped its mouth shut with (what else?) Florida Gators tape, and then posed on top of it.
And lets not forget the gator who took advantage of the "Rollback Prices" at an Apopka Walmart last October. The store's doors were locked as a precaution.
Bear sightings are becoming more commonplace in our area, and we've had several in Central Florida just in the last month. But students at University of Central Florida got a new experience when a bear was caught wandering the campus last June. Security cameras caught the bear wandering around the Academic Village.
Foreclosed homes continue to be a blight in neighborhoods, but these squatters were particularly unwelcome. Bees took over a foreclosed home in Port Orange and made it their hive. Then they started stinging their neighbors. The city had to get involved to stop the dangerous situation.
And a close encounter with a shark that did not end in tears. A team at Discovery Cove performed the first-ever Cesarean section birth on a shark. SeaWorld said the shark gave birth to four pups at the park.
Law enforcement officials step out of line
An Orange County deputy is accused of stealing houses, another accused of drunk driving in an unmarked car. A Daytona Beach Police officer, meanwhile, resigns over nude photos on her work computer.
Jocelyn Aviles was arrested in July. Orange County Sheriff's Office said Aviles used forged signatures to lease out other people's homes. According to the arrest reports, even the house she lived in at the time was not hers.
Orange County Dep. Kevin Meyer is still on paid suspension after Florida Highway Patrol said he slammed into the back of a woman's car in Winter Garden. He was in full uniform, driving an unmarked vehicle, and troopers say he was driving drunk.
In September we learned the FHP dashcam video and some other evidence would not be made available to the jury. But Meyer's lawyer says the case is still not a slam dunk.
And a Daytona Beach Police sergeant resigned in July after an investigation found naked pictures of the officer on her work computer. Police said Penny Dane also had pictures of her partially clothed in her uniform. The pictures were found after she filed a complaint against another officer.
Trouble at school
An eight-year-old's school record was almost ruined after he was suspended for pointing his finger in the shape of a gun.
Jordan Bennett was suspended from Harmony Community School in Osceola County in September, The school originally said Bennett's game of cops and robbers was violent. Bennett's mom fought the suspension, which was lifted and changed to an excused absence.
Why are candy canes white? The answer from a substitute teacher in Volusia County set off a controversy.
A child at DeBary Elementary School said she was told that the white on the candy cane stood for Jesus, because he was white, while the red stood for the blood he shed.
The school district said the sub used a book that was not supposed to be used.
And an Osceola County teacher got her job back after allegedly disciplining a special needs student by soaking crayons in hot sauce. Lillian Gomez was accused of soaking the crayons because the child would eat them. A state appeals court ordered the school district reinstate her after she was suspended without pay.
Unusual crime and punishment
Of course we could write a whole story just on odd crimes.
Someone stole a truck full of chocolate.
Volusia County deputies said someone stole $120,000 of Hershey chocolates and the truck it was in. The theft happened earlier this month at the JD Lewis Truck Center in DeLand.
A man in Sumter County visited a McDonald's drive-thru without pants.
Deputies say Steve Clemons went through a McDonald's drive-thru in October. They say when the cashier turned to give him his change, she realized he had no pants on. Deputies say Clemons tried to pull the server's hand into his car, but the clerk freed her hand and shut the window.
A woman arrested for stealing dozens of items from a cemetery.
Debra Farinella is accused of stealing some 140 items from the Mt. Peace Cemetery in St. Cloud, including statues, flowers and lights. Some of the statues were found around her yard.
Deputies say two groups of boys started the fight that ended in a riot. Some 18 of the 20 buildings at the center were damaged.
There's more -- a lot more. From a sinkhole swallowing a resort building to Golden Corral being investigated for leaving meat out.