{"id":181104,"date":"2026-03-06T19:19:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T19:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181104\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T19:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T19:19:07","slug":"no-dolphins-kidnapped-anyone-to-build-an-underwater-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181104\/","title":{"rendered":"No dolphins kidnapped anyone to build an underwater city"},"content":{"rendered":"

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Dolphins <\/a>are back in the headlines, and this time they’re being accused of running Florida\u2019s <\/a>most bizarre “development project<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

The Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office <\/a>is setting the record straight on Friday after an outlandish online rumor claimed marine mammals were behind an underwater construction operation off Florida\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n

The story gained traction after a widely shared social media post referenced a Florida resident who allegedly reported being \u201ckidnapped by dolphins and forced to build an underwater city.\u201d The Sheriff\u2019s Office responded with a tongue-in-cheek statement, assuring residents that the region\u2019s real estate market has not expanded below sea level.<\/p>\n

Deputies said they consulted their fictional \u201cUnderwater Construction Investigation Team\u201d to look into the claim. According to the agency, the dolphins that inhabit Southwest Florida\u2019s waters \u201cdeny any involvement\u201d in the supposed deep-sea development.<\/p>\n

\"On<\/p>\n

On March 6, 2026, the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office playfully debunked an online rumor after a widely shared post claimed a Florida man was kidnapped by dolphins and forced to build an underwater city, prompting the agency to clarify\u2014humorously\u2014that no such deep\u2011sea development exists in Lee County. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office){ }<\/p>\n

See also: Port St. Lucie man arrested after Chihuahua found drowned in weighted backpack<\/a><\/p>\n

While the rumor sparked plenty of online laughs, the sheriff\u2019s office emphasized that the situation is purely humorous. The agency added in a playful disclaimer: <\/p>\n

No dolphins were harmed in the making of this rumor.”<\/p>\n

The department frequently uses lighthearted posts to engage with the community, blending local flavor with coastal humor. In this case, officials say the only thing underwater in Lee County is the usual mix of fish, shells, and sea life\u2014not construction crews or ocean-dwelling architects.<\/p>\n

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Despite the viral nature of the claim, authorities say there is no evidence of any underwater city, planned or otherwise. As of now, the real estate market remains firmly on dry land.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LEE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Dolphins are back in the headlines, and this time they’re being accused of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-181104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}