Lately it seems as if the rest of the country has been seriously hating on the state of Florida. If the United States was the show Parks and Rec, Florida would be Jerry. (If you don’t know that inside joke, stop your life right now and watch Parks and Rec. Do you live under a rock?)
It feels as if my Facebook timeline has at least one article a week from Buzzfeed or Thought Catalog making fun of people in Florida doing really stupid things or explaining why we should be “kicked out of the United States.” If you search “Florida Buzzfeed” on Google, the entire first page is links to articles making fun of the insane stuff that happens here.
My Netflix binges are just reaffirming this negative stereotype as well. I can’t count the number of times I have died laughing at a “30 Rock” joke aimed at the Sunshine State. There was an entire episode dedicated to it, titled “Florida” and explained that the state is “America’s Australia” with a completely criminal population. (If you haven’t seen “30 Rock” either I really don’t know what is wrong with you.)
I’m not going to sit here and act like I haven’t been amused with all the commotion. But it worries me that someone might judge me once they realize I’m from this beautiful, crazy state I call home.
So because of this growing insecurity, I decided to mention a few really awesome facts about Florida. Now the world can know more about this mystery state that they visit every few years either for a cheap vacation or to see the grandparents (another classic and extremely overdone Florida joke).
The University of Florida
Yes I am biased but this school rocks. UF is ranked 14th in the nation for top public universities and 71st in the ENTIRE WORLD (drops mic and walks away).
The weather
We go to the beach on Christmas for Christ’s sake! The amount of fun we had as kids splashing around in our pools pretending to be mermaids and playing marco polo totally beats building snowmen and staying inside all winter.
Theme parks
Disney World, Islands of Adventure, South Beach, Key West, Busch Gardens, St. Augustine and the list goes on and on. There is something here for people of all ages, and like people always say on instagram, we live where you vacation.
Via: hotelskeywest.com
Cash money
Florida has the fifth lowest tax rates in the country, and there’s no state income tax. In fact, Florida has the reputation of being one of the cheaper states to live in. We probably just get all of our money from the huge tourism industry (haha suckers!)
Orange juice
This state produces roughly 75% of the country’s oranges and about 40% of the world’s orange juice supply. It’s yummy and delicious and you’re welcome.
Hopefully now when someone jabs fun about the place many of us call home and laughs at the expense of Florida, you can drop some of this knowledge on him or her and feel slightly better about where you’re from. But only slightly.
Via: someecards.com
Featured photo courtesy of: todaysseniorsnetwork.com
