Florida's own 'Jaws' moment? Bull Shark spotted swimming flooded neighbourhood, video goes viral | WATCH

A video purportedly showing a shark swimming through a flooded neighbourhood is going viral on social media after historic rains turned Florida's Treasure Coast into a temporary waterway. The video, filmed from inside a vehicle, shows a dark shape moving through deep water at the 25th Street and Midway intersection in Fort Pierce, with people in yellow rain gear standing nearby as cars splash past. Captioned "Only in Florida" with a shark emoji, it has racked up millions of views and a single shared reaction: is that actually a shark? Watch the viral video here:

Why a shark in the street is not as wild as it sounds

Bull sharks, common along Florida's coast, tolerate brackish and even freshwater conditions. They regularly use rivers, estuaries, canals and lagoons, including the Indian River Lagoon system near Fort Pierce, and can be pushed inland during extreme flooding or storm surge. The species has even turned up in landlocked states by swimming up rivers like the Mississippi, according to a study published in Marine & Fishery Sciences.

Not only that, but as recently as 2022, during Hurricane Ian, a similar video of a shark swimming in floodwaters had gone viral. Experts later assessed that the creature in the viral video from Fort Myers was likely a juvenile bull shark swept into a flooded residential area.

Florida floods and the storm behind it

Torrential rain began Sunday (Nov 1), turning Florida roads into rivers and submerging cars. According to reports, parts of St. Lucie and Indian River counties saw up to 13 inches of water, with Brevard County hit hardest, recording up to 24 inches near Malabar.

Notably, the National Weather Service has described the ongoing situation in Florida as a 500- to 1,000-year rainfall event. Governor Ron DeSantis had declared a state of emergency for seven counties on Monday.

Sharks in floodwaters: A familiar Florida ritual

"Only in Florida" street-shark clips surface with almost every major flood or hurricane, and plenty turn out to be other fish, debris or outright hoaxes.