They may have not been sipping margaritas and dipping their toes in the sand, but state leaders got a little taste of Margaritaville this week.
Keys leaders brought the Florida Keys to Tallahassee on Thursday, Jan. 25, as they descended on the state Capitol for the annual Florida Keys Day, in which local leaders try to educate and lobby various state officials on the legislative priorities for the chain of islands.
In addition, the Florida House of Representatives staged Jimmy Buffett Day at the Capitol on Thursday to celebrate the life, music, legacy and philanthropy of the iconic singer-songwriter, author and environmentalist. The celebration coincided with two pieces of legislation filed honoring the late Buffett and his love for Florida and its “Margaritaville state of mind.”
Buffett died Sept. 1, 2023, at age 76 from Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer.
Some of the legislation the state has proposed and is moving through committees includes the establishment of a Margaritaville specialty license plate, with proceeds slated to fund the Singing for Change philanthropic organization, and House and Senate bills designating all segments of historic State Road A1A from the Florida-George line to Key West as the “A1A Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.” “A1A” is the name of an early, pivotal album by Buffett.