Since at least the early 1920s, the Mafia has been in South Florida. Up north, the city of Tampa specifically developed into a bonafide town with its very own Cosa Nostra Family with all the trimmings, Capo, Sottocapo, Consigliere, Capodecina, and soldiers many years before that.
The borgata that would later become known as “The Santo Trafficante Family” was always a small but influential mafia organization active first in the Tampa and Saint Petersburg section of the state that later expanded down into the Miami area, Cuba, and beyond.
But I’m talking more about the rackets and wide variety of racketeers who would later gravitate to the South Florida area of Miami and Miami Beach, Hollywood, Hallandale, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano, Boca Raton, and all the towns and neighborhoods in-between.
Florida’s warm inviting weather, palm trees, white sandy beaches, and crystal blue ocean waters were an immediate hit with the “bent nose” set. And it would become the drawing card and magnet for mob guys from across the nation, especially those from the cold northern cities of New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit.
In fact, you would be hard-pressed to think of any given town or city where wise guys and major hoodlums operated that wasn’t drawn down to the Sunshine State.
Note: For additional stories about the mob in South Florida (a continuation of this series), please see Mafia Moon Over Miami: Part 2, Mafia Moon Over Miami: Part 3, and Mafia Moon Over Miami: Part 4. In addition, throughout the Button Guys website, you can find more detailed biographies about many of the mobsters listed below.
