The Florida Keys - The Conch Republic

A little known fact about the Florida Keys is at once humorous and confounding. The Florida Keys celebrate two Independence Days – July 4th and April 23rd. The second Independence Day dates back to 1982, when the Florida Keys “Seceded Where Others Failed”.

The Florida Keys are strung together and connected to mainland Florida by only one major highway (U.S 1). US Border Patrol decided to blockade this highway and search every car entering Florida City (which is on mainland Florida) for drugs, contraband, and illegal immigrants. The blockade resulted in twenty miles of stopped traffic. The residents of the Florida Keys were livid – they felt that the American Government was treating them as if they weren’t part of America, but foreigners. Besides feeling isolated from their country, they were very concerned about how this blockade would impact their tourism industry, and so they patriotically protested this terrible, monstrous injustice.

Key West Mayor Dennis Wardlow begged for the blockade to be lifted to no avail. Upon leaving the courthouse in Miami, he solemnly swore that the Florida Keys would secede from the Union. On April 23rd, he read the secession proclamation, symbolically broke a stale piece of Cuban bread, and “The Conch Republic” flag was raised. A lot of truth is said in jest, and the message was loud and clear– America had better remove the roadblock, or be prepared to draw a new border.

Border Passes, visas, and currency were issued for the new Conch Republic. The weapons of choice for the inhabitants were sticks of Cuban Bread. The Rebellion lasted for a grand total of one minute before the mayor-turned-Prime Minister swiftly asked for foreign aid from the United States. The Federal Government realized it was being ridiculously portrayed and removed the roadblock. The Florida Keys joyously revel in their “independence” with parades, parties, and mock battles during a weeklong secession celebration every year.

To this day, you can purchase “The Conch Republic” Diplomatic Passports. Strange to note- many nations in the Caribbean have accepted these passports, including Cuba. These “passports” have even saved people’s lives –for example, once an American man visiting Guatemala came face to face with insurgents; when he showed his “Republica de Concha” passport instead of his true American passport he was warmly received. Instead of being sprayed with bullets, he was given shots of tequila.

Let it be known, however, that the US government does not recognize any authority in The Conch Republic. Buying a passport is really just akin to buying an expensive souvenir of a mock secession. Even the residents of the Florida Keys do not place too much stock in their “independence” – it just makes for an awesome reason to party. We strongly recommend that you do not attempt to travel to other countries with a Conch Republic passport – besides being illegal, the laws and consequent penalties are much more strict these days. Yet if you want to have an “official” token of your trip to the keys, this is a humorous and unusual way of expressing it.

To this day, there are Conch Republic Flags and mementos all around the Keys. The marker at Southernmost Point in Key West is a popular photography spot – and it says, “The Conch Republic – Continental U.S.A – 90 miles to Cuba”.

When you are visiting the Florida Keys, don’t just enjoy yourself beyond your wildest dreams- be sure to take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice and bravery of all those involved in creating “The Conch Republic”.

Florida Tourists Guide