Remembering Jimmy Buffet: Central Florida reacts to beloved singer, environmental activist’s death

ORLANDO, Fla. — For many people, it was his music; for others, it was the island lifestyle he personified.

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Jimmy Buffett’s impact on Central Florida went far beyond both and now continues as part of his legacy.

A music icon, ‘Parrot Heads’ across the country, are mourning the passing of singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

“Here we are on Labor Day weekend with the passing of Jimmy Buffet,” Jimmy Weeklet, Fauto’s Food Palace owner, said. “He’s doing another show now, but it’s in the sky.”

But he was more than just an award-winning musician.

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Buffett was also a pillar for a Central Florida conservation group.

He co-founded the “Save the Manatee” club with former governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham in 1981.

It’s now the world’s leading manatee conservation organization.

Patrick Rose is an aquatic biologist and the executive director of the group.

“He’s just been such a person that you just think he’s going to be there forever,” he said.

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Buffett’s involvement didn’t stop with the founding; he also walked picket lines for the group.

In a video from April 1992, Channel 9 interviewed him as he played an instrumental role in a lawsuit between the Florida Audubon Society and Save the Manatee Club over the club’s right to be independent.

“All I want to do is get back to operating and do what’s best for the manatee,” Buffet said.

For him, it was a love of the sea and working to protect the animals, Everglades, and waterways.

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“He really wanted to give us that start,” Rose said. “And he was there and always there when we needed him.”

For Rose, remembering what Jimmy Buffett meant to Florida will endure just like his music and message.

“Look out for manatees-- I know Jimmy would want them to do that,” he said.

Buffett, who was diagnosed with melanoma in early 2020, once said, “If there’s a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached.”

Photos: Jimmy Buffett through the years

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Jimmy Buffett through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 09: Musician Jimmy Buffett performs at the after party for the premiere of Universal Pictures' "Jurassic World" at Hollywood & Highland on June 9, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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