F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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HR 8065 2024
1 House Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing August 30, 2024, as "Jimmy
3 Buffett Day" in Florida.
4
5 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi,
6 on Christmas Day in 1946 and traveled to Florida in 1971 at the
7 invitation of fellow musician Jerry Jeff Walker, settling in Key
8 West in 1972, and
9 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett honed his art as a singer-songwriter
10 in the bars of Key West, and the laid-back island lifestyle of
11 the Florida Keys was the foundation on which he built his
12 signature tropical rock sound, and
13 WHEREAS, in 1973, Jimmy Buffett released the album "A White
14 Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean," which included the hit single
15 "Grapefruit - Juicy Fruit," and used the proceeds to buy his
16 first boat, and
17 WHEREAS, subsequent albums included "Living and Dying in
18 3/4 Time" (with the hit "Come Monday"), "Havana Daydreamin',"
19 "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (with his mega-hit
20 "Margaritaville"), "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (with the hit
21 "Cheeseburger in Paradise"), "Volcano," and 20 more, featuring
22 songs that became part of the pop music lexicon, and
23 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett's music has attracted legions of
24 fans who call themselves "Parrotheads" and who gather at an
25 annual weeklong "Meeting of the Minds" festival, and
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26 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett was also the author of five books,
27 three of which were placed on the New York Times Bestseller
28 list, and the co-author of two children's books with his eldest
29 daughter, Savannah Buffett, and
30 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett's entrepreneurial enterprises
31 include a signature beer brand, LandShark Lager, in partnership
32 with Anheuser-Busch; casinos in Bossier City, Louisiana, and
33 Tulsa, Oklahoma; retirement communities called Latitude
34 Margaritaville in Daytona Beach and WaterSound in Florida, and
35 Hilton Head Island in South Carolina; and the Jimmy Buffett's
36 Margaritaville hospitality company and Cheeseburger in Paradise
37 restaurant chain, and
38 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett was an ardent environmentalist ,
39 founding the Save the Manatee Club, a nonprofit organization
40 devoted to raising awareness about the plight of Florida's state
41 marine mammal, with former Governor Bob Graham in 1981, and
42 supporting other causes devoted to endangered and threatened
43 species and habitats in Florida, and
44 WHEREAS, as a philanthropist, Jimmy Buffett performed
45 concerts for servicemembers, headlined hurricane relief
46 concerts, performed a free concert in Gulf Shores, Alabama,
47 after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and provided sup port for
48 efforts to deliver supplies and relief in the aftermath of the
49 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and
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50 WHEREAS, the SFC Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3)
51 not-for-profit organization also known as "Singing for Change,"
52 was created by Jimmy Buffett in 1995 and received one dollar
53 from each ticket Jimmy Buffett sold at his shows, and
54 WHEREAS, Singing for Change funds nonprofit community
55 organizations that inspire personal growth, community
56 integration, and promote sustainable and viable self-sufficient
57 communities; focuses its resources on supporting grassroots
58 organizations that rely strongly on collaborative efforts that
59 create lasting change in the communities they serve; and
60 promotes positive change by helping people, organizations, and
61 communities become smarter, safer, stronger, healthier, and
62 whole, and
63 WHEREAS, in 2015, the University of Miami bestowed an
64 honorary doctorate in music upon Jimmy Buffett, who spoke at
65 that year's graduation ceremony, and
66 WHEREAS, Jimmy Buffett died of complications from a rare
67 form of skin cancer on September 1, 2023, at the age of 76 at
68 his home in Sag Harbor, New York, NOW, THEREFORE,
69
70 Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
71 Florida:
72
73 That August 30, 2024, is recognized as "Jimmy Buffett Day"
74 in Florida to celebrate the life and music of Jimmy Buffett,
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75 whose free-spirited life and significant contributions to
76 national and state culture are commended and celebrated.
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