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Former Detroit Red Wings Zamboni Driver Al Sobotka Was Fired for Peeing into Drain

Al Sobotka

DETROIT, MI – APRIL 09: Building operations manager for Olympia Entertainment Al Sobotka collects an octopus during a timeout at the last NHL game at Joe Louis Arena between the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings on April 9, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

According to a new lawsuit, the reason Al Sobotka doesn’t drive a Zamboni for the Detroit Red Wings anymore is because he got caught peeing into a drain and was spotted by another employee.

According to the Detroit Free Press, “Sobotka’s lawyers state in the case filed in Wayne County Circuit Court that Sobotka’s rights were violated under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, arguing that Sobotka was discriminated against on the basis of his age (68) and disability.”

The lawsuit also states that Sobotka has benign prostatic hypertrophy, which makes him have a frequent and uncontrollable need to urinate. For more information, go here.

This article originally appeared on WRIF.

With season wrapping up and maybe, just maybe traffic getting a little easier to deal with - it's time to reclaim our Florida white sand beaches. We're in the sweet spot right now, after Spring Break and Snowbird season, but before all the northerners come down on their summer vacations. So each weekend has to count. Those of us in SWFL already know how amazing our local beaches are, so why not take the time and make an adventure of beach day. We took a look at tripstodiscover.com and made a list of white sand beaches here on the gulf coast that are well worth the destination. I also added the distance between these beaches and Fort Myers Beach. Sort of a, I already know how long it takes to get to FM Beach, how much further do I need to drive to check out one of these places? I'll also include approximate drive time.

Yes, I know we have amazing beaches in Southwest Florida, some are probably even better than ones on this list. But I'm ready to get in the car and go adventuring.

Let's get out of town and check out more of what Florida beaches have to offer. But let's also stay on the left coast - the best coast.

Siesta Key Beach

Siesta Beach is a beach located on Siesta Key in the U.S. state of Florida. Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes from the Appalachian Mountains. Wikipedia

97 miles away, you can do this in around 2 hours.

Clearwater Beach

Laid-back Clearwater Beach is known for its namesake stretch of soft, white sand, which draws visitors year-round for jet-skiing, parasailing, and stand-up paddleboarding in its calm waters. ― Google

157 miles, just over 3 hours drive.

Pensacola Beach

Pensacola Beach is a Florida resort community on the Gulf Coast barrier island of Santa Rosa. 

613 miles, 9-12 hour drive based on traffic.

A compact beach community found just east of Pensacola at the far northwestern tip of the state.

604 miles, best case around 9 hour drive. Florida is big

Perdido Key

Perdido Key is an unincorporated community in Escambia County, Florida, United States, between Pensacola, Florida and Orange Beach, Alabama. "Perdido" means "lost" in the Spanish and Portuguese languages. Wikipedia

625 miles, 9 and a half hours

Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach is a small city in the Florida Panhandle. It’s known for fine white-sand beaches on adjacent Okaloosa Island.

576 miles, all goes well, under 9 hours

Destin Beach

This beach town is known for its plentiful fishing, challenging golf courses, mouth-watering seafood restaurants, and incredible Gulf views.

563 miles, 8 + hours

Grayton Beach

Grayton Beach is a small, historic beach village on the Florida Panhandle Gulf coast halfway between Destin and Panama City in Walton County and adjacent to Grayton Beach State Park. Wikipedia

559 miles, 8 1/2 hours drive time

Santa Rosa Beach

Located along a 26-mile stretch of Northwest Florida's famed Emerald Coast

557 miles, 8 1/2 hours

St. Pete Beach

St. Pete Beach is a Florida resort city set on a barrier island, west of St. Petersburg. This is also where I went for spring break as a college freshman.

136 miles, 2 and a half hours

Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It's known for its broad beaches, like Manatee Beach Park. 

120 miles, 2 1/2 hours

Longboat Key

Longboat Key is a town in Manatee and Sarasota counties along the central west coast of the U.S. state of Florida

111 miles, 2 and a half hour drive

Fort Myers Beach

Or, skip the drive time and just stay here.

Joe Winner spends his days combing through memes and off beat stories to bring you the side of Florida not always seen.