Let's go for a swim they said, the water is warm they said. They didn't say a man would beat and stomp on a mans face (allegedly).

Let's back up, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Rayford Smith, a 53 year old man from Glenn Allen, Virginia beat and stomped on a man for not following social distancing guidelines.

Authorities say Smith was sitting on a bench, poolside at "The Willough" in Naples, Florida when the unnamed victim approached. WINK reports that Smith asked the man to keep his distance, the victim left the area and later returned and was still not socially distancing.

It's at this point, Collier County Police say Rayford Smith became angry, pushed the victim to the ground, hit him repeatedly, kicked his face and broke the mans dentures.

Management at "The Willough" say they have the attack on surveillance video and shared with police they believe the beating was unprovoked according to the Naples Daily News. 

According to the arrest records, Rayford Smith has been charged with battery.

You see what happens when the pool is open all year round? You can't have 365 days of unfettered pool time. It's simple math, the longer the pool is open, the more violent crime you will see.

I'm of course joking. As adults we know this has nothing to do with the pool being open all year 'round. We know it's not access to recreation that makes people kick (allegedly) someone's dentures clear out of the their face. We know that this cannot be the reason behind odd and violent behavior.

So, what is the reason? How did all of this Florida stuff start? What is behind this? Why is it every time we open the paper (digitally) are we are reading about bizarre and or violent crime in Florida?

I don't know the answer to that question, but it's hardly the most interesting question a person can ask about Florida. For me, the central and most intriguing query is, why do people keep moving there?

As I sit here writing this on February 1, 2021, it's 13 degrees outside and the Weather Channel is calling for between 1 and 2 feet of snow by tomorrow morning. I know it's not going to snow in Florida and I know it's warm there all year long. I also know that tomorrow morning there will be a story just like this one from Florida.

I used to live 20 minutes from "The Willough" where this allegedly took place. I worked five minutes from this place. I felt something warm when I moved there from here years ago, it was the burning feeling of regret pumping through my veins.

Person 1 - What happened?

Person 2 - He kicked my face?

Person 1 - Who kicked your face?

Person 2 - Some guy.

Person 1 - What were you doing that made him kick your face?

Person 2 - I went to the pool.

Person 3 (Me) - Florida you say?

P.S. You want to get back at someone who lives in Florida for sending a beach photo when they know it's snowing here? Send them a picture of a bacon, egg and cheese. 

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