We the People: Florida honors Jimmy Buffett

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) - When you think of Florida’s vibe, three things probably come to mind: beaches, music, and margaritas. Few captured that spirit better than Jimmy Buffett. Now, the state is honoring the legendary musician and environmentalist in ways only Florida can.

Buffett, known worldwide for hits like Margaritaville, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, wasn’t just a musician in Florida; he was part of the culture.

“Jimmy Buffett is an iconic, special individual and soul who is the embodiment of the natural resources and who and what Florida is,” said former state senator Lauren Book.

Book shared her own family’s connection to Buffett, including a story about her father skipping her birth to share a “cheeseburger in paradise” with Buffett after a fundraiser.

Buffett was also ahead of his time on conservation. He fought to protect the Everglades, the Gulf, and especially manatees, decades before environmental advocacy was mainstream.

His efforts helped create Florida’s Save the Manatee license plate, a specialty tag that nearly 53,000 drivers still use today. “Putting a face on that issue really cemented protections for manatees in our state,” Book said.

Florida is now expanding Buffett’s legacy with a Margaritaville license plate. Proceeds will benefit Buffett’s charity, Singing for Change, which supports community-based nonprofits.

And perhaps the biggest honor yet is that the entire 300-mile stretch of A1A, from Georgia to the Florida Keys, has officially been renamed the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.

“I’m so thrilled,” Buffett’s daughter, Savannah, said last year. “One of my dad and I’s favorite pastimes was just to get in the car and cruise and get lost on the scenic route, and that was often A1A.”