Florida has a long and distinguished record of producing traffic stops that defy easy explanation. Michael Nipper of Plant City may have just claimed the crown.
On a recent Sunday, multiple drivers travelling Interstate 4 through the Tampa Bay area began calling the Florida Highway Patrol to report something unusual in the lane ahead: a Ford Maverick pickup truck with what appeared to be two large missiles mounted in the bed on a metal rack. The FHP, treating the calls with the seriousness the word "missiles" demands, tracked the vehicle down on State Road 39 near Plant City and pulled Nipper over.
What followed was, depending on your perspective, either a colossal overreaction or entirely reasonable given the circumstances.
"FloridaMan A.K.A. RocketMan was intercepted by FHP State Troopers this afternoon on SR-39 near Plant City."
That was the Florida Highway Patrol's own Instagram post on the incident — and to their credit, they kept a straight face about it.
Nipper told troopers the missiles were plastic models he had purchased online and assembled from a kit, used for shows and events. The FHP was not immediately prepared to take his word for it. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Plant City Police Department, and the Plant City Fire Department all responded. An emergency perimeter was established. The bomb squad was called in.
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The bomb squad confirmed Nipper was telling the truth. According to CBS Miami, the missiles posed no threat and were plastic. WTSP reported that troopers even stopped for a selfie with the props before the situation concluded. Nipper was not charged with any offence.
He did receive, as the FHP put it, a "strong suggestion on how better to transport the articles."
Adding a layer of irony that Florida Man himself could not have scripted: according to Jalopnik, one of the missiles appears to be a model AIM-120B AMRAAM — an air-to-air missile designed to be fired from aircraft, not mounted on the back of a compact pickup. Nipper's Maverick, impressive as it may be, is not an F-16. The same analysis noted that Nipper's truck was covered in military branch decals, and his family history spans five branches of the US Armed Forces across multiple generations.
Reaction on social media divided sharply, as it tends to do when Florida Man is involved. BroBible reported that a number of commenters sided with Nipper rather than the emergency response.
"God forbid a man has hobbies."
"I thought this was America."
No charges. No arrests. One selfie. And a gentle reminder from law enforcement that maybe, next time, a covered trailer might be the way to go.
The FHP signed off their post with the words: "Never A Dull Moment in Tampa."
They are not wrong.
Sources:
- CBS Miami — Florida missiles on truck, Tampa, Plant City, Florida Highway Patrol
- WTSP — Man seen on I-4 with 'missiles' on back of truck near Plant City
- WFLA — Man seen on I-4 with 'missiles' on back of truck near Plant City
- Patch — FL Driver With Fake Missiles In Truck Bed Prompts Bomb Squad Call
- Jalopnik — Florida Man Gets Pulled Over Because Even In Florida, You Can't Have Missiles Mounted On Your Truck
- BroBible — Florida Man With 'Missiles' Mounted On His Truck Triggers Multi-Agency Bomb Squad Response
- Florida Highway Patrol Tampa — Instagram