From Hero to Zero: The Rise and Fall of Florida’s Fire Truck Bandit

Oh, Florida, you never seem to disapoint. This time, we have the fire truck Bandit. Meet Belinda Delores Waugh, a woman who probably thought she could outsmart everyone and star in her own version of "Firefighter Gone Wild."

According to the Miami Herald, this genius decided to commit a daring heist on July 15th at the Wellborn Volunteer Fire Department station. She probably planned her getaway carefully, strategizing her escape route from the station... right until she realized that gas was a thing. You know you've made questionable life choices when you're driving a stolen fire truck and you have to call the fire chief to tell him that, oops, you ran out of gas!

It appears that our fire-truck-Bandit had a rather cozy arrangement with the volunteer fire department chief. It's like a sleepover gone terribly wrong... or maybe terribly right, depending on how you look at it.

You see, the chief, in a gesture of misguided hospitality, allowed Belinda to crash at the fire station overnight. Little did he know that he was harboring a fire truck thief with ambitions of becoming Florida's stupid crimminal.

As dawn broke and the chief headed back to the station to answer a call, that's when the alarm bells started ringing – quite literally. The fire truck was nowhere to be found, and Belinda, along with her newfound four-wheeled friend, had vanished into thin air.

The cherry on top of this hilarious sundae is when the Suwannee County Sheriff's deputies caught up with Belinda and the fire truck. She actually tried to say that she was a firefighter. Like her scay looking self would fool them. I can almost hear the deputies saying, "Ma'am, if you're really a firefighter, then where's your Dalmatian? As it turns out, Belinda wasn't on the official roster, and her dreams of being a hero were quickly extinguished.

Now, our aspiring fire marshal finds herself in a different kind of hot seat – the Suwannee County Jail. She's facing charges of grand theft and fraud, all for her short-lived career as an impersonator extraordinaire.

And there you have it. Belinda Delores Waugh. Florida's finest fire truck thief.

Were you born and raised here in the good ol’ state of Florida? Or at least lived here for 20 years? Well, if that’s the case then you are a true Floridian and you’ve definitely done all these nine things listed below! If you thought visiting the capital was on this list, keep thinking. Visiting Tallahassee is not on the list of things that make you a true Floridian. Fort Myers? Maybe.

What truly makes you a Floridian is going through some dumb, slightly serious, yet dangerous life experiences. A good example of that would be hunkering down for a category 1-2 hurricane instead of evacuating and seeing an alligator in the wild. This list doesn’t include visiting an amusement park like Disney World or Universal Studios. This list is full of true silly things us Floridians have done and experienced while living here. Scroll down below to see the entire list!

First and foremost, Florida is home to stunning beaches. There’s over 1,350 miles of coastline with pristine white sand, turquoise water, and extremely hot weather. One of the most famous places is Miami Beach to the very glamorous South Beach each one is amazing in it’s own way. The Gulf Coast beaches like Clearwater and Siesta Key are just as beautiful. It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for, there is a perfect beach for everyone. Visitors can enjoy different water activities like snorkeling, jet skiing, or just tanning in the hot sun.

Tampa ranks #2 on the list of Florida family vacations! Out of 400 towns in Florida they looked at hotel prices, number of restaurants, certain attractions including watersport and amusement parks. Florida is undeniably one of the best vacation destinations in the entire world. There’s tons of reasons why Florida continues to attract millions of visitors every year. From its stunning beaches, vibrant cities and diverse wildlife there’s always something fun to do. They have thrilling theme parks and offer a wide range of attractions for anyone’s travel interests and preferences. Scroll down to see all nine things that make you a true Floridian.

If you’ve lived in Florida long you know we deal with hurricane season every year. Some people are extra prepared for it to begin and most of us just wing it! As a matter of fact, depending on the category we either host a hurricane party or go to one we’ve been invited to by our friends. We most likely know we’ll lose power so bring a flash light, a 12 pack and lets party!

Alligator are everywhere in Florida and like to hide in retention ponds or even golf courses. Your chances of seeing one in the wild are pretty high! Alligators are known for their aggressive behavior and there’s been many encounters with humans in the new recently. Gators will most likely attack when they feel threatened. If you live in the state of Florida it’s important to understand their behavior and take necessary precautions to stay safe especially in alligator infested lakes.

It doesn’t have to be after the club necessarily, it could be a night out drinking. But a main staple here in Florida is to hit up a Waffle House early in the morning or if you’re dealing with a horrible hangover.

If there’s one thing we have it’s an abundance of lizards everywhere! They’re always running around and when it’s mating season you see them stick out their red throats looking for love. One thing we always did as kids was catching the lizards and then we would wear them as earrings. We’d gently open their mouths and have them hang off our finger or ear.

This isn’t even a question. If you grew up in Florida you have a favorite Pub sub. Even though they’re all delicious it’s a must to eat one every month. They’re the best!

Whether you’re going to the gun range or practicing outside Florida is known for their guns. If you’ve lived here for a while most likely you’ve had some target practice.

Whether you’re driving to Disney, Universal or Sea World you will 100% get caught in I-4 traffic. It doesn’t matter the time of day or night because there’s so many Florida visitors that have no idea where they’re driving. Always give yourself extra time when driving through or to Orlando.

It could look like a tropical storm outside especially in Summer but wait 5 minutes and it’ll be gone! You might not believe me. If you’re a true Floridian you’ve seen this happen more times than not.

When living in Florida you might learn about a lot of myths and one big one is the Zigzag run. Growing up you always hear that if an alligator runs at you, you should run in a zigzag pattern. This will help you avoid getting caught because they can’t follow you. FALSE! In fact, alligators can reach speeds of 25 mph, so you need to run as fast as you can, away from an alligator in a straight line if possible.