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Sunshine State Mafia: A History of Florida’s Mobsters, Hit Men, and Wise Guys
Inside accounts and little-known stories of criminal networks
in Florida’s past
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.
in Florida’s past
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.
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
194 pages, Paperback
Published March 5, 2024
13 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 22, 2024
The mob has been a big part of Florida for over a century. Take in the pirates and evil Spanish conquistadors and that mindset could be set back more than 500 years. As Tim Dorsey writes, Florida is a 24/7 crime spree. How very true.
However, of the thousands of books written of Florida, and I have over 10,000 myself, only a couple write of Florida's non-stop crime party. All of those are awful, poorly written and severely missing imperative details - that wouldn't upset anyone involved on the mob side. I'm more than well aware of the efforts of the realtor/builder/developer/promoter/media/politician/etc. crowd working to keep this information buried as they are only interested in sandbagging fools moving to Florida. So much of Florida is buried for those looking to rip off the suckers. They have been widely successful. It's very, very difficult, despite the onslaught of the internet, to find what is really happening in Florida.
Somehow University Press of Florida let this book by Doug Kelly slip through! Finally! A very thorough and well written narrative of a good deal of the mob activity over the past century. Likely, most reading this will be quite surprised as to what has been happening their own backyard! Especially if not aware of the wide spread drug trafficking happening statewide.
What further makes this a plus are insights by the author and others due to his work in various security positions. Presented are some of the mental machinations of the why and how so much of the mob made men and beyond established a system to steal and kill and most getting away with it.
A typical complaint i have of recent books of history is are the absence of related dates of occurrence. Kelly keeps the reader on track with years included.
At first, as I read, I didn't like the out-of-sequence tales written. At the end, I found the layout of the book worked well. I would find it hard to believe one would read this book and not come away feeling thoroughly satisfied with the vast amount of content included.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.
However, of the thousands of books written of Florida, and I have over 10,000 myself, only a couple write of Florida's non-stop crime party. All of those are awful, poorly written and severely missing imperative details - that wouldn't upset anyone involved on the mob side. I'm more than well aware of the efforts of the realtor/builder/developer/promoter/media/politician/etc. crowd working to keep this information buried as they are only interested in sandbagging fools moving to Florida. So much of Florida is buried for those looking to rip off the suckers. They have been widely successful. It's very, very difficult, despite the onslaught of the internet, to find what is really happening in Florida.
Somehow University Press of Florida let this book by Doug Kelly slip through! Finally! A very thorough and well written narrative of a good deal of the mob activity over the past century. Likely, most reading this will be quite surprised as to what has been happening their own backyard! Especially if not aware of the wide spread drug trafficking happening statewide.
What further makes this a plus are insights by the author and others due to his work in various security positions. Presented are some of the mental machinations of the why and how so much of the mob made men and beyond established a system to steal and kill and most getting away with it.
A typical complaint i have of recent books of history is are the absence of related dates of occurrence. Kelly keeps the reader on track with years included.
At first, as I read, I didn't like the out-of-sequence tales written. At the end, I found the layout of the book worked well. I would find it hard to believe one would read this book and not come away feeling thoroughly satisfied with the vast amount of content included.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.
August 30, 2024
Sunshine State Mafia: A History of Florida's Mobsters, Hit Men, and Wise Guys. Doug Kelly. University of Florida Press, 2024. 194 pages.
Almost from its inception in America, organized crime has had a home in Florida. Crime family leaders quickly recognized that Florida was a safe haven from both winter and law enforcement. Like every other American, mob figures viewed the wide open state as a vacation playground at first but then started running very successful bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, extortion, money laundering, and drug smuggling operations which made them lots of money and inspired some locals to go for their own piece of the action. Doug Kelly is a licensed private investigator, security expert, outdoorsman, columnist, video producer, and writer who has crafted this short, but informative history of organized crime in the Sunshine State, based on his own experiences, research, and lots and lots of interviews with retired law enforcement members, It opens with a quick introduction to the organization and inner workings of organized crime and then delves into the stories of the infamous like Al Capone and Tampa's Trafficante family as well as the lesser known figures who carved out their own local fiefdoms built on illegal activities like bolita, the popular lottery ball game imported from Cuba. It's a good read if you're into organized crime history or Florida history.
Almost from its inception in America, organized crime has had a home in Florida. Crime family leaders quickly recognized that Florida was a safe haven from both winter and law enforcement. Like every other American, mob figures viewed the wide open state as a vacation playground at first but then started running very successful bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, extortion, money laundering, and drug smuggling operations which made them lots of money and inspired some locals to go for their own piece of the action. Doug Kelly is a licensed private investigator, security expert, outdoorsman, columnist, video producer, and writer who has crafted this short, but informative history of organized crime in the Sunshine State, based on his own experiences, research, and lots and lots of interviews with retired law enforcement members, It opens with a quick introduction to the organization and inner workings of organized crime and then delves into the stories of the infamous like Al Capone and Tampa's Trafficante family as well as the lesser known figures who carved out their own local fiefdoms built on illegal activities like bolita, the popular lottery ball game imported from Cuba. It's a good read if you're into organized crime history or Florida history.
December 27, 2024
An engaging book on the folks that have and may still be around that are part of the underworld of Mafia and their doings. Kelly has a lot of first and knowledge from a security background and encounters he has had primarily is south Florida. A strange and creepy world it is, fascinating as it is frightening. A very hot topic in a state that is a hotbed for the mob.
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April 14, 2025interesting
March 19, 2026
Not the book I was expecting but I enjoyed the personality the author brought to his stories. A mix of history with the author’s personal experience. I learned a lot.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews