Flags across Florida to be flown at half-staff to honor late Jimmy Buffett: 'Our adopted native son'
KEY WEST, Fla. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed flags across the state to be flown at half-staff to honor the late icon Jimmy Buffett, "our adopted native son."
Buffett died September 1 after fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years. He was 76.
"An inductee of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, Buffett captured the Florida lifestyle and entertained generations of Floridians with his relaxed 'Floridays' style that embodied the spirit of the Gulf Coast and Conch Republic," DeSantis said in a news release. "A lifelong conservationist, Buffett spearheaded efforts to protect the manatee, Florida’s State Marine Mammal, through the Save the Manatee License Plate. Buffett’s appreciation for Florida’s landmark Everglades was reinforced through philanthropic efforts and song."
Jimmy Buffett plays a song at a Get Out the Vote rally for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson D-Fla., and Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum at the Meyer Amphitheatre Nov. 3, 2018, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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The following flags will be flown at half-staff in Florida from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Friday:
- Monroe County Courthouse in Key West
- City of Key West City Hall
- State Capitol in Tallahassee
Why 5 p.m.? "Because it's always five o'clock somewhere," DeSantis said.