A blog post from the producers of It Happens in Florida

Casting for a TV show is a magical process. You put out a tasteful little call for “quirky, lovable Floridians,” and you hope to find a few folks who can act, maybe memorize a line or two, and ideally won’t try to wrestle wildlife during lunch breaks.

Instead, we got a full-blown Florida Man convention.

It started innocent enough: 10 a.m., community center, sign-in sheet, some folding chairs, a table of stale donuts. But by 10:15, a line had formed out the door—and every single guy in it looked like they’d just been ejected from a minor league gator wrestling match. Hawaiian shirts, jorts, two guys in flip-flops and socks (arrest-worthy), one man in a full suit of armor made entirely of beer cans.

The first guy introduced himself as “Two-Stroke Ricky” and said his special skill was “chainsaw ballet.” We hadn’t asked, but he offered a demo anyway. The second guy brought an emotional support raccoon and insisted it also be considered for a recurring role. (The raccoon bit the casting director. We’re now in negotiations.)

By mid-morning, we’d met:

• A man who claimed to be the unofficial mayor of a parking lot,
• A retired magician who only does tricks involving reptiles,
• Someone who swore he is the guy from that viral “meth gator” headline (he’s not… probably),
• And a man named Dennis who had no intention of auditioning but heard there might be free sandwiches.

The best part? We realized none of these people had actually seen the casting call. One of them found it printed on the back of a Winn-Dixie receipt, and it just spiraled. Apparently, “Seeking Florida types” is code for “bring your best sleeveless outfit and a story involving an airboat chase.”

We tried to regain control. We called a lunch break. That turned into a hot dog eating contest. (John placed second. The raccoon placed first.)

By the end of the day, we’d only seen three actual actors, one improv comic who wouldn't stop pretending to be a spoon, and a guy who tried to bribe us with live crabs.

But you know what?

It was kind of perfect.

It Happens in Florida was never meant to be polished. It’s about the wild, the weird, the hilariously offbeat characters that make this state the bizarre wonderland it is. And on that day, we found plenty of them.

Also, we may have accidentally cast the raccoon.

–The Producers of It Happens in Florida
(Still removing glitter from the magician’s finale act)