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Do you consider yourself a "Southerner"

Hold My Beer said:
Man, you been knowin' about North Florida ...

I laugh when folks talk about country and backwoods Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina (etc, etc) in comparison to Florida.

I just figure they don't too much know about the rest of this state.

Get away from college towns with their students and faculty and the beach towns with their tourists and snowbirds — and NoFlo is no different than anywhere else in the rural south. ****, I was in Century (Escambia County) a couple months ago. That place hasn't changed in 30 years.

By the way RC305, I'm typing this after finishing a plate of smothered turkey necks. I know you know about those, too 😋 :LOL:
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Mannnnn....I spent alot of time in Century and Jay when I lived in Destin from 88-91....
 
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Hold My Beer said:
Man, you been knowin' about North Florida ...

I laugh when folks talk about country and backwoods Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina (etc, etc) in comparison to Florida.

I just figure they don't too much know about the rest of this state.

Get away from college towns with their students and faculty and the beach towns with their tourists and snowbirds — and NoFlo is no different than anywhere else in the rural south. ****, I was in Century (Escambia County) a couple months ago. That place hasn't changed in 30 years.

By the way RC305, I'm typing this after finishing a plate of smothered turkey necks. I know you know about those, too 😋 :LOL:
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Oh yeah fam, that's where my roots are. What they know bout places like Jennings and Mayo? Unlike many Cane fans, I knew exactly where Emory Williams is from because I've been to Milton before. I'm well-versed in how country NoFla is. I've got family ties from Pensacola to Duval. In many ways, the only difference between there and the places you named is that it's in the same state as SoFla.

On my mom's side, granny was from Greenville in Madison County and granddaddy was from right across the state line in Quitman. My mom was born in Monticello, and 2 years later they moved to Miami.

On my pop's side, granny was from Ocilla, Ga. and paw paw was from Johnsonville, Al. He came to Dade via Pensacola and they met in Miami in '60.

Due to my family ties, I've visited and passed through more one-stoplight towns in those 3 states than I can count. The major difference is the license plates on the cars...
 
Hold My Beer said:
Spot on.

What's interesting is how many outstanding football players past and present from Dade/Broward/PB have Jamaican, Haitian, Bahamian roots (I'm sure you, gogeta, LC El and others here can co-sign with plenty of examples)

So that cross-pollinization of which you speak works both ways. And we are all better for it
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Most definitely bruh. After three generations of co-mingling and living together, SoFla culture is definitely an amalgamation of American, West Indian and Latino influences.

As far as Haitians & Jamaicans, I knew once they started playing that it was gonna be like it is today. Before they caught on, most SoFla talent was from an African American or Bahamian background. The soccer background and island speed they have only made this place, which already produced talent at a high clip, that much more fertile.

One last thing I will say, which further supports my stance that this is America's Caribbean, is that Bahamians have been in Miami since Day 1. A considerable number of the men who voted on the charter to establish the City of Miami were Bahamian. Of course, they did much of the grunt work to build what turned into this booming metropolis. African Americans didn't start arriving down here en masse until the 50's & 60's...
 
JeddTheFisch said:
Odom's Bar & Package in Century desrves a 10 part documentary.

The term "North Escambia" should enter the lexicon.
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We need to make you an honorary North Floridian.

You know that part of the state better than me and I lived there for the better part of 50 years.


Baby Hat GIF
 
RattlerCane305 said:
As far as Haitians & Jamaicans, I knew once they started playing that it was gonna be like it is today. Before they caught on, most SoFla talent was from an African American or Bahamian background. The soccer background and ISLAND SPEED they have only made this place, which already produced talent at a high clip, that much more fertile.
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This is most certainly a real thing, just like Kenyans and Ethiopians dominating the long distances
 
RattlerCane305 said:
African Americans didn't start arriving down here en masse until the 50's & 60's...
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Yeah, and as you know, most of those folks coming down to Miami were from North Florida and South Georgia (unlike the other 98% of African-Americans who migrated to the North and to the West
 
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RattlerCane305 said:
Most definitely bruh. After three generations of co-mingling and living together, SoFla culture is definitely an amalgamation of American, West Indian and Latino influences.

As far as Haitians & Jamaicans, I knew once they started playing that it was gonna be like it is today. Before they caught on, most SoFla talent was from an African American or Bahamian background. The soccer background and island speed they have only made this place, which already produced talent at a high clip, that much more fertile.

One last thing I will say, which further supports my stance that this is America's Caribbean, is that Bahamians have been in Miami since Day 1. A considerable number of the men who voted on the charter to establish the City of Miami were Bahamian. Of course, they did much of the grunt work to build what turned into this booming metropolis. African Americans didn't start arriving down here en masse until the 50's & 60's...
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Good stuff, especially how the Bahamian folk made early impact on the creation of Miami.
Similar observation I share in the metro DC, northern VA and Baltimore (DMV) area with lots of families migrating from west African and Carribbean nations. They have made quite an impact in local athletics.
 
Hold My Beer said:
Yeah, and as you know, most of those folks coming down to Miami were from North Florida and South Georgia (unlike the other 98% of African-Americans who migrated to the North and to the West
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Yup, add South Carolina and Alabama to that list also. Those four places are among African Americans from SoFla. I've met a few cats growing up whose families were from Mississippi but nowhere near the amount from SC, North Florida, South Georgia & Bama...
 
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SWFLHurricane said:
I don't know....but they were RUTHLESS in Miami in the 80s...
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I lived in Colombia for 7 years ... Bogota, Villavicencio, Gulf of Uraba, and Santa Marta (over 3 years in SM). Was production manager for a Chiquita division based in Santa Marta. Had one district supervisor murdered by NARCOS in 1979 (trigger 'man' was a 12 year old kid ... cartel used them as they wouldn't do jail time). Saw bodies on the farm roads weekly. Had a lot of difficulty trying to bring experienced Ag guys from Central America for even 6 month assignments due to the violence. I was stopped daily outside of Santa Marta by the military ... as I drove an old 4WD vehicle with a radio antenna (for farm communications) and they were checking to see if I was a NARCO. NARCOS would kill a family member of a competitor, wait for the funeral, and "attack" the burial in the cemetery with machine guns and grenades ... goal to kill everybody at the funeral ... men, women, children.

I ended up leaving early in 1980 when some NARCO put a contract on me (he was drunk one night and hit the steel I beam bumper on my old 4WD farm truck with his Gran Torino and scratched a fender. Chased me 6 blocks in the car and emptied a mag at me as I drove across the beach. Next day a Colombian Army officer saw me sitting at an outdoor cafe and said "Señor ... ten cuidado ... ten mucho cuidado". Be careful, be very careful. Had to transfer to NYC HQ. The "Colombian Neck Tie" gained fame at that time. They would slit a guys throat and pull the tongue through the slit so it hung over the chest looking like a bloody tie .. and they would prop the corpse against a fence or a tree .. or even hang it from a bridge. Everbody had body guards and everybody was armed (except those not involved in drugs).

We were doing a drainage project and brought in a small Bell helicopter. First time I flew over the area we were considering for adding new banana production we first came across a Beechcraft twin engine plane being loaded with bails of marijuana, peeled out of that spot, then came across a bulldozer making a clandestine air strip in the jungle, peeled out of that area and flew over a small cargo plane being loaded. Cancelled the planned flights and flew back to the field we were renting as a helicopter pad ... and as we landed 4 Silverado pick up trucks (the Narco vehicle of choice) came flying in ... 4 guys with machine guns jumped out of each one ... I had to explain that I wasn't with the DEA or Policea .... "soy bananero" I am a banana grower. We also had "associate growers" (private farmers) and I managed one farm that was owned by a Narco. He, his two brothers and one cousin, all graduated from UC Davis, and felt since the Governor of California was trying to legalize marijuana there was nothing wrong with growing for export (they then moved on to cocaine, and became "asasinos" as well. Nasty freaking business. You literally could have a person killed for US$1.00. Low level hit men cared nothing about human life. If they had a bullet that cost them $.50 they would kill somebody for $1.00 ... doubling their money. Colombia didn't get a bad rap in any film depicting the violence. I had PTSD for a year at least after moving back. If I heard a motor cycle I would hit the dirt ... rice rockets were the vehicle of choice for assassinating people riding in cars in traffic. Incredibly beautiful country, some amazing people, but they went through some very, very disturbing times.
 
Rickd said:
I lived in Colombia for 7 years ... Bogota, Villavicencio, Gulf of Uraba, and Santa Marta (over 3 years in SM). Was production manager for a Chiquita division based in Santa Marta. Had one district supervisor murdered by NARCOS in 1979 (trigger 'man' was a 12 year old kid ... cartel used them as they wouldn't do jail time). Saw bodies on the farm roads weekly. Had a lot of difficulty trying to bring experienced Ag guys from Central America for even 6 month assignments due to the violence. I was stopped daily outside of Santa Marta by the military ... as I drove an old 4WD vehicle with a radio antenna (for farm communications) and they were checking to see if I was a NARCO. NARCOS would kill a family member of a competitor, wait for the funeral, and "attack" the burial in the cemetery with machine guns and grenades ... goal to kill everybody at the funeral ... men, women, children.

I ended up leaving early in 1980 when some NARCO put a contract on me (he was drunk one night and hit the steel I beam bumper on my old 4WD farm truck with his Gran Torino and scratched a fender. Chased me 6 blocks in the car and emptied a mag at me as I drove across the beach. Next day a Colombian Army officer saw me sitting at an outdoor cafe and said "Señor ... ten cuidado ... ten mucho cuidado". Be careful, be very careful. Had to transfer to NYC HQ. The "Colombian Neck Tie" gained fame at that time. They would slit a guys throat and pull the tongue through the slit so it hung over the chest looking like a bloody tie .. and they would prop the corpse against a fence or a tree .. or even hang it from a bridge. Everbody had body guards and everybody was armed (except those not involved in drugs).

We were doing a drainage project and brought in a small Bell helicopter. First time I flew over the area we were considering for adding new banana production we first came across a Beechcraft twin engine plane being loaded with bails of marijuana, peeled out of that spot, then came across a bulldozer making a clandestine air strip in the jungle, peeled out of that area and flew over a small cargo plane being loaded. Cancelled the planned flights and flew back to the field we were renting as a helicopter pad ... and as we landed 4 Silverado pick up trucks (the Narco vehicle of choice) came flying in ... 4 guys with machine guns jumped out of each one ... I had to explain that I wasn't with the DEA or Policea .... "soy bananero" I am a banana grower. We also had "associate growers" (private farmers) and I managed one farm that was owned by a Narco. He, his two brothers and one cousin, all graduated from UC Davis, and felt since the Governor of California was trying to legalize marijuana there was nothing wrong with growing for export (they then moved on to cocaine, and became "asasinos" as well. Nasty freaking business. You literally could have a person killed for US$1.00. Low level hit men cared nothing about human life. If they had a bullet that cost them $.50 they would kill somebody for $1.00 ... doubling their money. Colombia didn't get a bad rap in any film depicting the violence. I had PTSD for a year at least after moving back. If I heard a motor cycle I would hit the dirt ... rice rockets were the vehicle of choice for assassinating people riding in cars in traffic. Incredibly beautiful country, some amazing people, but they went through some very, very disturbing times.
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My GF has a Columbian friend (drop dead gorgeous) the stories she told her were hair raising to say the least.
 
RightSaidFred said:
Miami isn't Northern or Southern, I consider it an extension of Latin America. It's basically a Carribbean state under the American umbrella, like Puerto Rico.

Miami USED to be Southern. Some of you may still know some old folks who call it "Miam-uh." That's how it was, once.
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The ethnic mix of Florida has changed a lot in the last 25 years for sure. Initially the Cuban migration was THE huge change, but the Haitian, Venezuelan and Colombian influx has been incredible. Over 250,000 Colombians now live in South Florida, over 180,000 Venezuelans and close to 100,000 Haitians, with another 50,000 Brazilians as well. Then good numbers from Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and even the Dominican Republic and Peru. Makes for incredible cuisine.
 
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