Jimmy Buffett SW FL connection: 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' to 'Hoot,' icon

Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·3 min read
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Jimmy Buffett's connections to Southwest Florida went beyond a planned resort named after his iconic song about a famous drink.

The musician whose songs romanticized beach life, sailing, fishing died Friday at age 76. His legacy will endure, especially among who love the Florida lifestyle.

Here's what to know about his connection to Southwest Florida:

This was Buffett's last Florida show: Jimmy Buffett played his last ever Florida concert in February. What to know

'Cheeseburger in Paradise' inspired by Lee County island Cabbage Key

The story behind Buffett's famous hit about a favorite food item goes like this.

He supposedly was out sailing in the Gulf when he docked his boat on Cabbage Key, a small island located off Lee County's Pine Island and only accessible by boat.

Buffett headed toward The Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant, an 80-year-old business known especially for its "bar with lots of money on the walls

Off-season is a great time to dine in one of our restaurants, do a little shopping, enjoy a water activity and shell our beautiful beaches before season arrives. It’s also a time to remind ourselves of what we love most about the area. When we participate in Savor the Shore, it’s a win-win for all of us. Above: Burger at the Cabbage Key Restaurant.
Off-season is a great time to dine in one of our restaurants, do a little shopping, enjoy a water activity and shell our beautiful beaches before season arrives. It’s also a time to remind ourselves of what we love most about the area. When we participate in Savor the Shore, it’s a win-win for all of us. Above: Burger at the Cabbage Key Restaurant.

Likely hungry and looking for a place to eat and enjoy a cold one, Buffett ordered a cheeseburger that probably tasted like paradise after a few hours on the water.

"Cheeseburger in Paradise" begins with, "Tried to amend my carnivorous habits," with other lines like "Heinz 57 and french-fried potatoes/Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer."

The song was on Buffett's 1978 album "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and reached No. 32 as a single on music charts and was among his favorites with fans, perhaps at least after "Margaritaville."

Various other places have claimed inspiration for the song.

But it's pretty easy to imagine Buffett savoring a burger and sipping a cold beer at the Cabbage Key bar that opened in 1944, staring at the ceiling and walls covered with dollar bills and writing a song about it.

Buffett wrote songs for 'Hoot,' with town based on Cape Coral

The 2006 film "Hoot" was one of the many movies filmed in Southwest Florida. And Buffett co-produced it, portrays one of its characters and wrote and performed songs on the soundtrack.

The comedy about kids trying to save a burrowing-owl habitat from developers building a restaurant. The movie is based on a Carl Hiaasen's novel of the same name.

And "Hoot" is set in Coconut Cove, a fictional town based on Cape Coral — a city known for its burrowing owls. It was filmed mainly on Florida’s east coast but parts were shot in Lee County’s Boca Grande and Gasparilla Island.

Songs from "Hoot" that Buffett wrote and performed include "Floridays," with lyrics like "Pale invaders and tan crusaders are worshipping the sun" and "I'm back to livin' Floridays/Blue skies and ultra violet rays/Lookin' for better days."

Buffett was a co-owner of the Fort Myers Miracle

An avid sports fan, Buffett was minor co-owner for several years of the Fort Myers Miracle, a minor league baseball team that is now the Mighty Mussels.

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram and Threads @lacrossewriter.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Was Jimmy Buffett's 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' inspired in SW Florida?