[Joe Brower]

"They used to fly onto the flightline at Homestead when we fired up the lights at night. Is there any big, weird, ugly insect that doesn't live in Florida?"

I believe you are thinking of this friendly fellow, the "Palmetto Bug":

You haven't really had the genuine Florida experience until you have one of these land on the back of your neck and run down the inside of your shirt.

[dfwgator]

Yet another reason I’m glad I got out of Florida.

[Ditto]

You haven't really had the genuine Florida experience until you have one of these land on the back of your neck and run down the inside of your shirt.

How about cruising wide open down Rt. 40 one night south of Sarasota on a Honda, and having one hit smack into your chest and go down your shirt. I had bug bits all over me.

Being the Yankee boy I was, I don't know they made bugs that damn big. I'm just glad I didn't have to floss him out of my teeth. ;~))

[gundog]

I believe you are thinking of this friendly fellow, the "Palmetto Bug"

Oh, no...I'm well aware of the difference.

You haven't really had the genuine Florida experience until you have one of these land on the back of your neck and run down the inside of your shirt.

I'll go ya one better: all of the urinals needed to be removed from one of the AMU bathrooms. First, one comes up...no problem, as do the second and third ones. When the fourth and final one was lifted, out pours thousands of Palmetto bugs, We're talking an eruption that covered the floor and kept on coming.

A friend of mine had a pet one in his Camaro. We'd be driving down the road and he'd say "There he is." It'd sit on top of his tape deck and you could see it's antennae in the green glow.