James "Jimmy" William Buffett, a self-described tow-headed boy who was born on Christmas Day 1946, may have been born and raised in Mississippi, but he made Florida his adopted home.
From his music to his multiple properties to his business ventures, he left a flip-flop sandal imprint across the Sunshine State — and particularly in Palm Beach, where he first moved in 1993.
It's no small wonder then that earlier this year, following the crooner's Sept. 1, 2023, death, the Florida Legislature declared Aug. 30 Jimmy Buffett Day. Lawmakers also renamed State Road A1A the Jimmy Buffett Highway and approved a new license plate. Of note, Buffett named one of his albums "A1A," which was first released in 1974.
The highway renaming will apply to all portions of S.R. A1A — which runs along the state's east coast — from the Florida Keys in Monroe County north to Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Duval, and Nassau counties.
The license plate will have Florida at the top and Margaritaville at the bottom. The fees from the sale of the plate will be distributed to the SFC Charitable Foundation Inc., also known as Singing for Change, which was founded by Buffett in 1995.
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While Palm Beach may not be able to boast about having a Margaritaville restaurant — too gauche for this set — the island can claim many of the OG Parrothead’s favorite hangout spots, while also providing inspiration for some of his hits.
Read more:It's Jimmy Buffett Day in Florida: Try this recipe for 'Cheeseburger in Paradise'
Looking to reconnect with your inner Buffett fan as you celebrate Aug. 30 with a margarita in one hand and a cheeseburger in the other? Here are seven Palm Beach ties to the beloved singer-songwriter.
1. Buffett owned multiple homes in Palm Beach
On July 12, the threemodest houses where Buffett kicked back when he was inPalm Beach hit the market onRoot Trail, a historic street with immediate beach access.
On both sides of Root Trail, the houses are priced individually between $6.124 million and $7.25 million, with a grand total of about $20 million for all three.
Buffett — who with his widow, Jane,bought and soldother houses in Palm Beach, including an oceanfront mansion across town — assembled a compound of sorts on the North End’s Root Trail. The oldest house stands on the south side of the street, with the two others just opposite it on the north side. Together, the lots measure less than a fifth of an acre.
2. Green’s Pharmacy and Luncheonette
Buffett loved to eat at this old-school diner, which is a major draw for locals and visitors alike.
Green's also happens to be within spitting distance of the Root Trail properties Buffett called home for so long.
The luncheonette is a thriving shrine to mid-century lunch counters — paper-placemat menus, egg salad and a black-and-white checkerboard floor.
With a place so unassuming, you can imagine Buffett's brightly colored, short-sleeved Hawaiian shirts and flip flops being right at home.
3. Root Trail beach
Where did Jimmy Buffett love to surf?
According to those who knew him, Buffett would carry his board to the end of Root Trail, walk across the sand and hit the waves right there in the Atlantic Ocean.
His love for the water extended to his passion for conservation, and he was a supporter of many environmental causes, even helping to found the Save the Manatee Club in 1981.
4. Orange stand inspiration
Buffett’s song “Bob Robert’s Society Band” was reportedly inspired by his visit to the opening of the Lawrence Road orange grove in Boynton Beach that was owned by Palm Beach Groves, which held a spot in the Ambassador Hotel for decades.
“It's the Bob Roberts Society Band, playing every Sunday at the Orange Grove Stand,” Buffett sang. “They don't play grunge, and they don't play loud. It's the magic of the music that still draws a crowd.”
5. A Testa’s fan
Before the iconic Testa's restaurant closed in 2017 after nearly a century of service, Buffett was among the famous faces that could be found there on a regular basis.
No wonder — as with Green’s Pharmacy and Luncheonette, Testa’s location on Royal Poinciana Way was around the corner from Buffett’s Root Trail properties, and he was often seen riding his bicycle to and from the restaurant.
He wasn’t alone in his love for Testa’s: Rex Harrison, President John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, Martha Stewart, Kathleen Turner and Hoda Kotb are among the famous faces spotted there through the decades.
Note: There’s a reason why there are two restaurants — and there could be more, i.e. E.R. Bradley’s in West Palm Beach and formerly of Palm Beach — on this list.
The man loved food.
In his songs, he memorialized cheeseburgers with thick slices of onion, grilled fish for lunch, oysters with ice cold beer on the side, sparkling Perrier water, juicy mangoes and, of course, margaritas, with or without salt on the rim — if you can find the darn shaker.
Food runs in the family: Buffett’s sister Lucy “Lulu” Buffett is a chef, author and restaurateur who wrote “Gumbo Love: Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life.”
Because, don’t you know, being from Mississippi, the Buffett family also loves a good gumbo.
6. In the skies
This nod to Buffett is one that is a little less — physical.
But you might be able to experience it on your next flight out of Palm Beach International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration in 2009 dedicated a departure procedure, the path by which pilots take off from the airport, and the waypoints — five-letter codes by which pilots navigate — in PBIA's airspace to Buffett.
The procedure, named BUFIT ONE, was canceled in 2021, an FAA spokesperson said. A new BUFFT departure and JESTR arrival will be published in October, the spokesperson added.
A pilot himself, Buffett kept his planes at PBIA.
According to FAA documentation, the BUFIT ONE departure procedure included these waypoints:
- BUFIT, for Buffett
- JIMEY
- PYRUT
- FINNS
- UTLEY, for Buffett's longtime keyboard player and producer Michael Utley
7. Fundraising fin-atic
If there was one thing Buffett loved, it was giving back to the community that over the years gave so much love to him.
He was frequently seen at fundraising events around town, and he had a particular passion for children, the environment and veterans.
That led to many appearances from the man from Margaritaville at events for the Everglades Foundation — for which he served for years as a board member — and the Navy SEAL Foundation, where sometimes he spoke, sometimes he mingled and sometimes he sang.
In 2019, he performed alongside fellow rocker and Palm Beacher Jon Bon Jovi at the Everglades Foundation’s annual ForEverglades event at The Breakers resort.
In 2004, he took part in the J. Robert Lauer Golf Tournament for Hospice of Palm Beach County at The Breakers, where he missed a few putts but playfully bantered with his teammates, Bryant Gumble, Breakers CEO Paul Leone and Jim Bertles.
