By the numbers: The most-read Orlando Weekly stories of the year | Orlando Area News | Orlando

The next time you feel the urge to bemoan the lack of serious news coverage in the current media landscape, please remember this list and reconsider that impulse. The preceding article listed the most important local stories of 2022, but here’s a list of what actually got the most eyeballs in the past year, as recorded in our web analytics. Don’t take it as a gotcha or a slam on readers; take it as a chance to reflect on the yin-yang of information consumers’ actual desires. You want both political analysis and Florida Man antics, and we strive to provide you with the best of both. Here’s to all of us.

January: “UF researchers predict 80 of Floridians will contract COVID-19 by end of Omicron surge; some Orlando-area communities are already there”

February: “Drunk woman riding motorized suitcase leads bike cop on chase through Orlando International Airport”

March: “Video shows huge Lakeland alligator Grandpappy eating a smaller gator on a golf course”

April: “Tampa’s viral hairless creature has been identified”

May: “Dead shark hung from rafters of Florida high school in apparent senior prank”

June: “The Michelin Guide handed out its stars tonight; here are the Florida restaurants that earned them”

July: “Brawl breaks out in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom”

August: “Campaign ad accuses Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz of being FBI informant in Mar-a-Lago raid”

September: “If the November races go as forecast, more than half of Florida’s House delegation will consist of election deniers”

October: “Florida Department of Education adopts rules to suspend licensing of teachers who run afoul of Don’t Say Gay law”

November: “Orlando news anchor goes viral on TikTok defending daughters’ homecoming dance outfits”

December: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ally found dead amid sexual misconduct investigation”