Florida drivers know the drill when someone's crawling along in front of them — pass safely and move on with your day.
But one driver in the Florida Keys learned the hard way that some people don't let things go.
And a Miami Beach man's road rage just put one Florida family through absolute hell.
Miami Beach man followed victim home after being passed
James Varner was driving through Stock Island on Monday afternoon when another driver passed his slow-moving vehicle on 12th Avenue around 3:35 p.m.¹
That's when things went sideways fast.
Varner didn't just let it go — he followed the driver straight to his home.¹
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Varner got out of his vehicle and approached the driver while yelling.¹
Then he head-butted him.¹
A fight broke out between the two men right there in the driveway.
Two family members rushed outside to break up the altercation.¹
That's when Varner walked back to his vehicle.
What he came back with turned a road rage incident into something much worse.
Deputies arrested Varner on aggravated assault charges
Varner grabbed what deputies described as a large knife or small machete from his car.¹
He then threatened to kill all three people — the driver and the two family members who tried to stop the fight.¹
Deputies arrested the 55-year-old Miami Beach man and charged him with aggravated assault and battery.¹
Nobody was seriously injured.¹
Varner was taken to the Stock Island Detention Center where he's awaiting arraignment on December 18.²
This wasn't just some heated exchange that got out of hand.
Varner followed this driver to his home, physically attacked him, and then pulled a weapon on his family.
Stock Island has seen its share of violent incidents lately — stabbings, domestic violence, assaults.³
The area near Key West has become a trouble spot where tempers flare and weapons come out.
Florida leads the nation in road rage incidents involving firearms.⁴
Road rage shooting deaths doubled between 2018 and 2022 across the country.⁴
Road rage incidents have surged 500% nationwide over the past decade, with Florida hitting critical levels.⁴
And the Florida Keys are no exception to this disturbing trend.
In October 2024, a 39-year-old man pointed a loaded 9mm pistol at two people during a road rage incident at a Key Largo campground.⁵
He threatened to kill both victims but didn't fire.⁵
These incidents are becoming the norm rather than the exception on Florida roads.
Fatal crashes involving aggressive driving nationwide jumped 132% from 2010 to 2021.⁴
In 2022, someone was shot and either injured or killed in a road rage incident every 16 hours on average across America.⁴
Think about that for a second — every 16 hours.
Florida drivers are dealing with an epidemic of aggressive driving that's putting innocent families at risk.
You pass someone on the road because they're going too slow, and suddenly you're dealing with a maniac who follows you home and threatens to kill your family.
That's not normal.
But it's becoming more common as road rage turns Florida highways into war zones.
The victim in this case did nothing wrong — he simply drove around a slow-moving vehicle on his way home.
That basic act of driving turned into a physical assault and death threats against his entire family.
Varner will face a judge later this month.
But the real question is how many more families will be terrorized by road rage before law enforcement cracks down on this growing threat.
¹ Monroe County Sheriff's Office, "Miami Beach man arrested for road rage incident," December 2, 2025.
² Keys News, "Road rage: Miami Beach man arrested for fighting, threatening to kill three in Keys fracas," December 2, 2025.
³ Local 10 News, "Stock Island man arrested after allegedly beating woman, burning hand," November 27, 2025.
⁴ Don't Get Hit Twice Law Firm, "Road Rage in Florida: The Rising Incidents and Dangers Behind Fort Myers Auto Accidents," March 10, 2025.
⁵ Local 10 News, "Davie man accused of pointing gun in Key Largo road rage incident," October 9, 2024.
