Inside Help, 15-Foot Gator, Serial Fake Cop: Weird Florida

Patch operates 23 daily news sites in Florida. The following are some of the more unusual, wacky, wonderful and weird stories from the past few weeks:

Watch: Spinner Shark Knocks Paddleboarder Into Water

A Florida man out enjoying sun and surf Thursday afternoon got a little more than he bargained for when a spinner shark shot out of the water, hit his board and knocked him off.

Watch: Woman Blasts Gov. Rick Scott at Starbucks

A 39-year-old mom from Lake Worth took no time recognizing Florida Gov. Rick Scott when he walked into a Gainesville Starbucks Tuesday. She also wasted no time blasting the Republican with her perceptions related to the state’s current state of affairs.

Bail Bondsman Had Help On The Inside, Deputies Say

A 32-year-old Land O’ Lakes man faces criminal charges after Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies say he paid a prisoner to boost his bail bonds business.

15-Foot Gator Bagged In Florida

Two hunters in Florida are getting the credit for taking down a monster alligator believed to have been making meals out of a farm’s cattle. The beast, which measured in at nearly 15 feet, was killed Saturday at Outwest Farms in Okeechobee.

Roaming Gator Makes A House Call

A Plant City man found himself calling 911 recently when an unexpected, and very unwanted, visitor came knocking on his door. It seems the man attempted to leave his Partridge Pass home only to discover a 9 ½-foot alligator had climbed his front stairs and was attempting to get in.

Serial Fake Cop Busted Again, And Again, Police Say

The Largo man arrested two times in two days in mid-March for allegedly impersonating an officer now faces three more criminal counts. Clearwater Police announced the man’s latest arrest Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, the Largo Police Department said it, too, had filed more charges against the man.

Watch: Charging Florida Panther Interrupts Nature Walk

A Madison, Wisc., woman got the surprise of a lifetime recently while out on a leisurely stroll through the National Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples.

Tampa Man Who Bit Off Fingerprints To Avoid Arrest Sentenced

The Tampa man who bit off his fingerprints in February to escape arrest in Ohio pleaded guilty to charges of escape, tampering with evidence, obstructing official business and resisting arrest on Tuesday. An Ohio judge sentenced him to serve 18 months there before he'll face extradition to Florida, several media outlets have reported.

Shirtless Ted Cruzmobile Turning Heads In Florida

Cheryl Lankes is a staunch supporter of Sen. Ted Cruz’s bid for the Republican nomination. She even has a car to prove it.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission