Sunshine State Mafia

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.