Netflix’s Florida Man Tells The “Story Behind The Meme”

For the past decade, various reports about an unnamed “Florida man” committing a bizarre or wild act have provided the Internet with endless entertainment. Now, Netflix is taking inspiration from the popular meme in the form of a new crime dramedy, aptly titled Florida Man. Though the series is not based on a true story per se, creator and showrunner Donald Todd explained that it will serve as an origin story of sorts.

“[People] laugh at the mug shots and the headlines, but what’s the story behind the meme?” he said in a March interview with Netflix’s Tudum, adding that he considered the Sunshine State to be the perfect setting for a character-driven thriller. “The brightest sun casts the darkest shadows . . . people can hide in shadows. All of that creates an ethos that’s perfect for a bright and noirish crime story.”

Florida Man, which Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films company produced, centers on Mike Valentine (Edgar Ramírez), a recovering gambling addict and struggling ex-cop who reluctantly returns to his home state of Florida when mob boss Moss (Emory Cohen) sends him to find his missing girlfriend, Delly (Abbey Lee). While also navigating buried family secrets and complicated relationships with his father, Sonny Valentina (Anthony LaPaglia), and ex-wife, Iris (Lex Scott Davis), Mike naturally also gets caught up in situations that “would put some of the best “Florida man” memes to shame,” per the streamer’s synopsis.

A Sunshine State native himself, Todd also drew on some of his own experiences. “As I grew up, I never stopped thinking about why Florida is Florida,” he recalled to Tudum. “Florida is a thin layer of porous crust on top of a hundred feet of water, and it’s maybe a few feet above sea level… it might all sink. So when you feel that everything is temporary, you take what you can when you can get it. A “Florida man” is someone who’s proudly independent and doesn’t live by your code, which means he doesn’t live by any code.”

Despite the title and location, there is one major deviation from the truth, however. Florida Man was actually filmed in North Carolina in and around Wilmington and Carolina Beach, according to several local outlets. Port City Daily reported that the team shot the limited series for roughly five months in 2021 and pointed out filming locations like The Pointe, Starway Flea Market, and Wilmington International Airport.

The outlet also reported that the Florida Man production team also built a water tank at the local Dark Horse film studio, likely for a scene involving Mike and Sonny going underwater. “I spent three weeks learning [to scuba dive],” LaPaglia told TV Insider, adding, “Edgar didn’t like it so much!”