Sunshine State Mafia: A History of Florida’s Mobsters, Hit Men, and Wise Guys

A vivid, wild ride through a century of Mafia lore, this book tells stories of organized crime rings that have settled in Florida and made the state their base of operations for bootlegging, gambling, extortion, money laundering, and drug running. Sunshine State Mafia divulges the hidden history of the mob from the Keys to Pensacola and Jacksonville.

Featuring Al Capone and crime rings in Miami and South Florida, the Trafficante family in Tampa, Harlan Blackburn and his gambling empire in Orlando, and many more individuals both infamous and little known, this book explains how and why mob bosses from northern states came to Florida in the early 1900s—they saw the state as a respite from cold weather and a good place to evade law enforcement. The cast of characters in these stories includes cops, sheriffs, prosecutors, judges, and politicians who took bribes or even conspired with criminals.

Doug Kelly offers never-before-told information from newly released files, interviews with retired police and FBI agents, and his own career as a security consultant during the Cocaine Cowboys era. Kelly’s line of work involved brushes with criminal elements and notorious characters, which he recounts here. He also defines roles within Mafia families, discusses how changes in policing have impacted the patterns of criminal organizations, and talks about what distinguishes the Mafia from other groups.

The first book to survey the origins and activities of the Mafia across Florida, Sunshine State Mafia will surprise readers with its insights into the influence of organized crime in the history of the state’s small towns and cities.