Broken Pen Publishing

Do you remember the Mariel boatlift? Do you remember when the U.S. border patrol was setup on U.S. Highway One in Florida City, stopping every car coming from the Florida Keys, giving birth to the Conch Republic flag and serious talk about the Florida Keys seceding from the United States? Do you remember when waking up under a bridge and finding breakfast at the end of your fishing line was a way of life? Do you remember when saltwater fishing licenses and lobster mini seasons weren’t necessary?

There was once a time in the Florida Keys when it was possible to live like a beach bum. No money—no problem. Those days had drifted away with the coming of the yuppie elite, condominium overbuilding, saltwater fishing licenses and land use laws.

The 1980s was the last of the best times to live in the Upper Florida Keys. I was one of the fortunate people out there who lived in the best time and place in the universe. This book is about those days.