[POLK COUNTY] Usually people return a rental car when they stop paying for it. But not Florida Man. No, he keeps it. Not only does he keep it, but he uses it give Uber rides and make a little cash on the side.
According to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post, this Florida Man had an ingenious way of keeping the rental company from stopping his engine from starting…but we’ll get to that a little later.
27-year old Elijah Mills was pulled over in Polk County while giving a ride to a couple from the United Kingdom. They were in Florida to get married. Now they’ll have a great Florida Man story to tell their friends and family back home. Little did they know that the Uber car giving them a ride was actually a stolen car.
Mills rented a Ford Equinox in Orange County, but stopped making payments on the car three weeks earlier. The Florida Man told deputies that the rental car company called him constantly, but he refused to answer. The company had no choice but to report the car as stolen.
Usually the rental company is able to keep the cars ignition from restarting, but that didn’t work. Why Not? Well, Mills told police how he was able circumvent their device by keeping the car running. That’s right…he kept it running for three weeks straight. With gas prices so high today, no wonder he had to use it as an Uber.
And who would have guessed that Florida Man didn’t even have a valid license? Mills was charged with Grand Theft Motor Vehicle and Driving While License Suspended or Revoked.
