Of all the Florida Man tales that drift through the world’s daily dose of weird, some don’t rely on wild antics but rather a kind of sustained, marathon commitment. The latest example: a 72-year-old St. Petersburg resident who, as outlined in The Smoking Gun, has managed to call 911 over 16,000 times in five years—an average the mathematically inclined might note comes out to nine calls a day, every day. Emergencies? Not so much.
911 on Speed Dial—A Five-Year Streak
In a particularly active stretch, police records cited by the outlet indicate Samuel Lee Thomas placed 3,400 calls to 911 just within the first five months of 2025. Of these, nearly 650 were directed at one neighbor’s home, with Thomas reporting everything from supposed narcotics sales to firearms offenses to the perennial ‘suspicious activity.’ Last week, when officers responded to Thomas’s claim that someone was firing an AR-15 rifle outside the residence, they found not chaos but a family barbecue, complete with children and the telltale aroma of grilled burgers. Neighbors assured police there had been no gunfire—just another eventful afternoon derailed by a false alarm.
Throughout this saga, police concluded that Thomas was “utilizing the police to maliciously harass” his across-the-street neighbors, particularly Anqunette Peterson and her family. As described in the outlet’s summary of police reports, Peterson has endured “hundreds of interactions with the police” thanks to these calls, with Thomas allegedly going so far as to stop in front of the house to shout obscenities. According to authorities, the evidence suggested a pattern of stalking, with Thomas’s complaints lacking legitimate cause.
The Anatomy of a Neighborhood Nemesis
One might assume this level of fixation had some deeper cause, but the criminal complaint reviewed by The Smoking Gun notes there was no indication of mental health concerns or substance influence driving Thomas’s 911 habits. Peterson told officers the barrage left her family “severely emotionally distressed,” and she stated her worries that continued harassment could “escalate into a potential dangerous situation.” With each call, she explained, her family’s daily life unraveled just a bit more.
When officers moved in to arrest Thomas, he reportedly struggled, landing himself with an additional misdemeanor. In total, he faces charges of stalking, making a false police report, and resisting arrest—hardly the typical outcome of neighborhood vigilance. Court records outlined by the outlet also reveal Thomas’s prior brushes with the law: battery, DUI, pot possession, disorderly intoxication, bad checks, and various probation violations, although this is the first time misuse of the 911 system has been added to the roster.
Motive or Hobby?
In a brief phone conversation with a reporter, Thomas described himself as “ex-military” and roundly denied knowing anything about stalking, maintaining his calls were simply about “neighborhood nuisances.” What, exactly, rises to the level of 16,000 “nuisances” in suburban St. Petersburg remains an open question. The complaint left the targets and subjects of the many non-neighborly calls unspecified, though if previous reports are anything to go by, the concerns ranged widely.
The outlet also notes that Thomas was quickly released on $1,500 bond and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Apparently, even as his telephonic streak faces its first major interruption, Thomas promises to call a reporter back “tomorrow.” Should one take that as a habit or a threat?
Vigilance, Obsession, or Something Else?
Whether fueled by a hyperactive sense of responsibility, personal grievance, or sheer boredom, the transformation of civic duty into vendetta isn’t new—but the level of persistence certainly stands out. At what point does a neighborhood watch cross the line into a neighborhood fixation? The outcome of Thomas’s case may provide at least a squint at an answer.
For now, St. Petersburg rests a little quieter, and 911 operators might enjoy a briefer breather. And as the saga of Florida’s most persistent 911 caller illustrates, life’s peculiarities can run on the strangest schedules—sometimes, apparently, nine times a day.
