Born & raised, I'm a true local of Palm Beach County. When I was a little kid my family lived out in the Acreage. I later moved to Lamancha in Royal Palm and then out to F Road in Loxahatchee. As an adult I lived over in West Palm for a bit but ended up in North Palm. You know I love the water and have an obsession with the ocean. Alright, enough with that stuff, let me hit ya with some local knowledge!
#5 Don't Walk Under Trees When It's Cold Out
In Florida we don't do well with the cold. When it's below 60 people act like it's snowing and even the iguanas can't hang. Seriously, cold temperatures put them in shock and they will fall out of trees. This is why you hear locals say, "It's cold out, watch out for iguanas falling out of trees."
#4 Understanding The Rain In Florida
This one is my favorite and really bizarre. Basically, if the weather guy says 40% or less you head out! You most likely are going to avoid the rain. As the locals say, "If it's raining in Florida just drive 5 minutes the other way." Yeah, it sounds crazy but it works! How many times have you seen in raining on one side of the street and the other is dry? During the Summer it will be sunny, rain like there's no tomorrow for just a few minutes and then bam back to the sunshine.
#3 When The Sharks Feed
If you love the beach, I know you have seen more sharks than you're comfortable with. Growing up my parents would always tell me, "Don't swim at the beach at sunrise or sunset, that's when the sharks are eating." You know the good old breakfast and dinner rule. A while back my friend and I were thinking about going for a late swim and she brought this up. Have your heard this one?
#2 Hurricane's Under A Category 3...Meh
The worst part of a hurricane is always the aftermath. If you live here, then you know most people don't really freak out over a hurricane, especially when it's a category 3 or less. People have "Hurricane Parties" all the time. It's almost a tradition to drink and watch the weather channel for hours and hours. The old saying is that, "It's not serious until the weather guy rolls up his sleeves."
#1 How To Escape An Alligator
My dad was really big into fishing when I was a kid. He would take us freshwater and saltwater fishing all the time. Living in South Florida, it was normal to see alligators. He would tell my brothers and I, "If a gator chases you just run in a zigzag pattern." Now I have NO FREAKING CLUE if this actually works. At first, I was convinced my dad was messing with me but turns out just about ever local knows about this!