Headlines from along the coast this week lean more amusing than alarming, with a Florida Keys diver trying (unsuccessfully) to hide his catch, a Biloxi man who just cannot seem to lose, an uninvited reptile sizing up baked goods in North Carolina and a Florida man who won a crab-eating contest in an unusual way.
A ‘litany of lobster violations’ in the Keys
- The hook: A 66-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested Friday after a Lower Keys marine deputy spotted him diving for lobster from a kayak near Sunshine Key — then watched him paddle away from commands and dump a bag of lobsters into the mangroves, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
- The admission: Thomas Michael Waidelich, of Antigo, Wisconsin, “admitted to dumping his catch, adding that he knew he was over-the-limit,” the sheriff’s office said, according to flkeysnews.com. He was charged with possession of undersized lobster, over-the-limit lobster, harvesting lobster by spear, failing to have a measuring device and tampering with evidence.
- The rules to remember: Florida’s regular commercial and recreational spiny lobster season runs yearly from Aug. 6 through March 31. The carapace — the part that is not the tail — must be longer than 3 inches, and the daily bag limit is six lobsters per person, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Lightning strikes twice at the Beau Rivage
- The hook: What are the odds? A Biloxi man who pocketed more than $150,000 at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino on Friday walked back in Sunday morning and did it again.
- The payout: Kevin Baker claimed a $156,476.27 jackpot on Friday, then hit for another $143,898.87 after just eight minutes of play on the $1 Lightning 10-Year Storm slot machine in the High Limit area with a $100 bet, the Sun Herald reported.
- The bigger picture: Sunday’s win was the 31st jackpot of $100,000 or more at the Beau Rivage this year. Coast casinos have now paid out more than $8.5 million in jackpots of $100,000 or greater in 2026.
An unexpected customer at the bagel counter
- The hook: Staff at a bagel shop in Southport, North Carolina, found an alligator behind the counter — not exactly the morning rush anyone plans for, according to a Charlotte news report.
- The setting: Southport, the small coastal town familiar to many Carolinas retirees for its waterfront charm, added one more quirky chapter to its local lore.
- The takeaway: A gentle reminder that when you live close to the water, the wildlife sometimes decides to pop in for breakfast.
Florida man wins crab-eating contest with a spoon
- The hook: Timothy Sadowsky of Cooper City, Florida ate 25 stone crabs in 16 minutes and 39 seconds, according to the Florida Keys News Bureau. His secret to cracking open the crustaceans? A spoon.
- The setting: The 15th annual Stone Crab Eating Contest, which was held at Keys Fisheries on Halloween. Yes, there were people in crab costumes. The event raised $3,000 for the Grace Jones Community Center in Marathon.
- The winning strategy: This is the second year that the competition winner used a spoon. Sadowsky explained his technique to the news outlet: “Just use enough pressure to crack the shell, but not squish the meat.”
This story was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using McClatchy Media’s originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.