Steven Becker

Archives

To celebrate the release of book eight in the Mac Travis Adventure series, I’m taking a look at what’s beyond Key West. Key West is generally known as the end of the line, and hosts the iconic buoy for the Southernmost Point in the continental United States to prove it. The claim is true if you count the bridges that connect the chain of islands as part of the contiguous landmass, but… Read More

After the American Revolution, Spain regained control of Florida from Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris. When the British evacuated Florida, Spanish colonists as well as settlers from the newly formed United States poured into the territory. Many of these new residents were lured by favorable Spanish terms for acquiring property, called land grants. Even Seminoles were encouraged to set up farms, because they provided a buffer between Spanish Florida… Read More

Toll Roads Florida has more toll roads and bridges than any other state in the Union. The Fern Capital The small town of Pierson in northeast Florida is known as the Fern Capital of the World. Ferns from farms here are shipped worldwide, and these farms can be seen everywhere in the area. High Point of Florida The highest point in Florida is only 345 feet above sea level. Britton Hill is… Read More

It all started in early 1982. With raised concerns over drug smuggling in the Florida Keys, the United States Border Patrol set up a blockade and checkpoint on Highway 1 at Florida City. The agents began stopping and checking cars, searching glove boxes, the spaces under seats and trunks. The only real result was the 17 mile traffic jam on the only road into the Keys. At the same time, the media… Read More

From sea to shining sea. That’s how America is described by some, and nothing says shining seas like the Florida Keys—sometimes called the “Conch Republic”—sometimes described as heaven. Many have discovered the Florida Keys, and few want to leave it. The Keys were originally inhabited by Tequesta Native American Indians. Later they were found by Juan Ponce de Leon in the early 1500s. De Leon had his own name for this paradise—he… Read More