---
title: "Florida Man Tries, Fails to Jump Canal in Toyota Corolla"
description: "Turns out, them Duke boys just retired to Florida and traded in the General Lee for an economy car."
date: "2017-10-16"
modified: "2018-04-12"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/15188/florida-man-tries-fails-to-jump-canal-in-toyota-corolla"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Toyota News"
tags:
  - "canal"
  - "compact"
  - "corolla"
  - "Florida Man"
  - "sedan"
  - "sweet jumps"
  - "Toyota"
  - "Toyota Corolla"
---

# Florida Man Tries, Fails to Jump Canal in Toyota Corolla

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/10/dlxll7gx4aayp2t.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Florida Man, you're no Bo Duke. Authorities in southwest Florida had to pull a thoroughly-ruined [Toyota Corolla](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/14299/coyote-survives-20-mile-journey-trapped-in-a-toyota-corollas-grille>) out of an area canal last week after the driver reportedly attempted to jump the watery 20-foot gap, only to fall quite a bit short in his quest to get to the other side.

As funny as that image is, it's the little details that add this story to the [pantheon of truly great Florida Man](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/14355/florida-men-caught-hauling-stolen-power-pole-in-a-kia-after-hurricane-irma>) stories. [According to *WFTX-TV*,](<https://www.wptv.com/news/state/driver-tries-to-jump-canal-with-his-car-in-southwest-florida>) witnesses saw the man drive the blue Corolla up to the edge of [the canal in Lehigh Acres](<mailto:https%3A//www.google.com/maps/@26.6198122,-81.6992078,3a,60y,265.56h,84.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdMrKeBLPvbQjoXGpVRab5A!2e0!7i3328!8i1664?hl=en-GB>) and exit the car to observe the distance and ponder his options. Just why he was so determined to make the journey across, officials can't say...but they did note this all went down a few short blocks from a bridge that spans the canal for just such occasions.

After careful consideration, the man got back in his Corolla, reversed quite aways, then gunned the compact back towards the edge of the canal. Careful observers of the photo above will note the complete absence of a raised lip or anything resembling a ramp—so it should be no surprise that he didn't make it.

The Lee County Sheriff's Department said the man was uninjured, though the Toyota Corolla was totaled. Surprisingly, the unnamed man wasn't charged with anything....which means he was likely sober during all of this, to boot.

Just like [this real-life stunt with a real-life General Lee](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/7907/epic-dukes-of-hazzard-general-lee-stunt-in-detroit-ends-predictably-in-awesome-crash>) shows, it's not the jump that's the hard part—[it's the landing.](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/11951/watch-this-smokey-and-the-bandit-jump-recreation-end-poorly>)

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)