Florida flags fly at half-staff in honor of Jimmy Buffett

Rachel Tucker

Updated: Sep 8, 2023 / 11:32 AM CDT

The Florida state flag waving along with the USA flag. (Getty Images)

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Flags are flying half-staff in Florida to honor the late musician and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags to be flown half-staff after singer died Sept. 1 from a rare form of skin cancer. He was 76 years old.

FILE – In this June 30, 2010, file photo, Jimmy Buffett performs at his sister’s restaurant in Gulf Shores, Ala. Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

Born and raised on the Gulf coast, Buffett carved out a niche in popular music with hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” combining elements of the country, rock and folk genres, with a tropical twist. He created an empire of restaurants, hotels, merchandise, timeshares and even cannabis products under the Margaritaville brand, with themes inspired by his music and his longtime home of Key West.

Buffett was a champion of conservation, teaming up with Florida Gov. Bob Graham to establish the Save the Manatee Committee and Adopt a Manatee programs in the 1980s.

DeSantis directed flags to fly half-staff at the Monroe County Courthouse, Key West City Hall, and the State Capitol in Tallahassee, from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Friday, “because it’s always five o’clock somewhere.”

“Floridians ‘Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season’ are encouraged to commemorate the legacy of our adopted native son by raising their margarita glass and enjoying a cheeseburger here in paradise to wish the ‘Son of a Son of a Sailor’ well,” a news release from DeSantis’ office stated.