Florida lawmakers want to honor the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett by christening State Road A1A the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.
The bill reads: “All of those portions (of State Road A1A) located in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Duval and Nassau counties,” would be named after Buffett, who died Sept. 1, 2023, at age 76.
The bill had its first reading on Jan. 10. An identical bill was filed in the state Senate. A Senate filing says the renaming would cost the state $23,400.
State Rep. Chuck Clemons, a Republican from Newberry, proposed “an honorary designation” to stamp Buffett’s name on the iconic coastal highway that spans 340 miles from Fernandina Beach down to Key West, where an unknown Buffett lived in the 1970s.
Though Buffett was born in Mississippi and raised in Alabama, Florida is where he created a new genre, now dubbed “Trop Rock,” with party anthems like “Fins,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” along with introspective ballads “Come Monday,” and “Son of a Son of a Sailor.”
Buffett’s 1974 album, “A1A” includes “A Pirate Looks at 40, “Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season” and “Tin Cup Chalice.”
When it was released, Buffett released this note: “A1A is the beach access road that runs occasionally on and off U.S. 1. It can take you to some of the prettiest beaches in Florida east of St. Augustine, right through the middle of ‘Wrinkle City,’ better known as Miami Beach, and ending suddenly 90 miles north of Havana and four blocks from my house.”
If approved this legislative session, the law would order the Florida Department of Transportation to put up road signs designating the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway by Aug. 30.
Buffett went on to build a fortune with his Margaritaville brand, inspired by his humble beginnings in Key West.
In his last four years, Buffett struggled with Merkel cell skin cancer, according to the obituary on the singer’s website.
But he didn’t disclose his illness publicly and continued performing. Seven months before his death, Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played four shows in Key West, including two intimate concerts at the Key West Theater.
“Jimmy was love,” his wife Jane wrote in an online message to the public days after Buffett died. “Every cell in his body was filled with joy. He smiled all the time, even when he was deeply ill. And his sense of humor never wavered. Jimmy was always the optimist, always twinkling, always making us laugh.”
‘Margaritaville’ license plate
In addition to the A1A proposal, state lawmakers will consider creating a “Margaritaville” speciality license plate, after the name of his signature and most successful single.
If approved, the Florida Margaritaville plate would cost a driver $25 per year.
Proceeds from the plates would go to Singing For Change, a nonprofit Buffett founded in 1995 that supports small and large nonprofits to help people living in poverty “achieve sustainable self-sufficiency through vibrant, diverse communities,” according to its mission statement.
The nonprofit’s website quotes Buffett as having said, “Have fun, make money and leave the world a better place.”
The state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles estimates adding the speciality plate will cost $7,680. If approved, it would take effect Oct. 1.
