An artificial intelligence-backed media account that has been fabricating fake news about non-existent residents in Ocala and across Florida is creating mass confusion among thousands of individuals who are taking the stories at face value.
The website, which Ocala-News.com is electing not to identify, has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media through fake stories that are sensationalized and dramatically embellished to confuse readership.
The page specifically targets Florida with insulting, “AI-generated slop” that portrays Floridians in a derogatory light, often leading readers to believe the outlandish reports are legitimate news.
The reports use AI-generated images that include doctored backgrounds that falsely cite legitimate news sources including CNN, Fox News, and local media affiliates.
The page attempts to mask its misinformation with a discrete tagline describing its content as a daily dose of “totally made-up” entertainment.
By placing the phrase in quotation marks, the page subtly implies that the stories are not necessarily lies, while an additional tagline claims the stories are “just wild enough to almost be real.”
Despite the one-line disclaimer, each AI-generated story regularly includes hundreds of words of fabricated text, a fake photo, and a few hash tags that are strategically placed at the very end of the story.
Those hash tags generally include one such as “#ForEntertainmentOnly” that clarifies the nature of the story to the reader.
Ocala-News.com found dozens of stories dating back to last year that were all completely fabricated.
In one story, the website claimed a 58-year-old woman named “Wendelene Crabtree” was detained at a local Publix after attempting to pay a $74.18 grocery bill with a live squirrel named “Mister Pickles.”
The AI-generated report included specific details, such as the woman demanding the cashier weigh the squirrel like produce and offering a handwritten “certificate of authenticity” for the animal.
To add a layer of false credibility, the story quoted a fake cashier and listed a cart full of specific items, like 41 jars of apple butter and a single rotisserie chicken.
Read the full post in its entirety:
The website uses a photo that suggests the woman has been featured on a local news agency (“WNTL”) and the final line of the post includes a disclaimer that the content is copyrighted by “TBC Viral Media 2026.”
In a separate post, the website alleges that a Florida woman was detained after an attempt to “return a used coffin to Costco” in Ocala, despite there not being a Costco location in the city.
The post refers to a fake police report and several fabricated details about the fake arrest. It creates names of fake witnesses and employees, and gives fake quotes.
The impact of the “AI slop” on readers is evident, with most appearing to be victims of the “Florida Man” trope and immediately accepting stories as a reflection of reality. Most of the stories include comments deriding the state and its “crazy” reputation.
“Always Florida, I gotta move,” reads one comment.
“Florida. Why do these things seem to go on in Florida so much? There’s crazy and then there’s Florida crazy!” reads another comment.
These reactions highlight the growing danger of AI-generated “fake news” that leans into regional stereotypes to generate engagement, falsely degrading Ocala and every other Florida city in exchange for clicks.
What are your thoughts on the rise of AI-generated “satire” that tricks people into believing fake news about Ocala? Share your comments below or write a letter to the editor.