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

Inside accounts and little known stories of criminal networks nin Florida's past nn n n nA vivid, wild nride through a century of Mafia lore, this book tells stories of organized ncrime rings that have settled in Florida and made the state their base of noperations for bootlegging, gambling, extortion, money laundering, and drug nrunning. Sunshine State Mafia divulges the hidden history of the mob nfrom the Keys to Pensacola and Jacksonville.n n Featuring Al Capone and crime rings nin Miami and South Florida, the Trafficante family in Tampa, Harlan Blackburn nand his gambling empire in Orlando, and many more individuals both infamous and nlittle known, this book explains how and why mob bosses from northern states ncame to Florida in the early 1900s--they saw the state as a respite from cold nweather and a good place to evade law enforcement. The cast of characters in nthese stories includes cops, sheriffs, prosecutors, judges, and politicians who ntook bribes or even conspired with criminals.n nDoug nKelly offers never-before-told information from newly released files, ninterviews with retired police and FBI agents, and his own career as a security nconsultant during the Cocaine Cowboys era. Kelly's line of work involved nbrushes with criminal elements and notorious characters, which he recounts nhere. He also defines roles within Mafia families, discusses how changes in policing nhave impacted the patterns of criminal organizations, and talks about what distinguishes nthe Mafia from other groups.n nThe first book to survey the origins and activities of the Mafia across nFlorida, Sunshine State Mafia will surprise readers with its insights ninto the influence of organized crime in the history of the state's small towns nand cities.n