MIAMI-DADE, Fla. — A House Republican last week proposed a designation of a Florida road to remember singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett who died at the age of 76 in September.
The proposal filed Friday by Rep. Chuck Clemons would change the name of State Road A1A to "Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway." The state road runs through several counties in the Sunshine State, including:
- Monroe
- Miami-Dade
- Broward
- Palm Beach
- Martin
- St. Lucie
- Indian River
- Brevard
- Volusia
- Flagler
- St. Johns
- Duval
- Nassau
The filing of the bill, HB 91, will be taken into consideration during the legislative session starting in January.
If passed, the Department of Transportation will have to place markers alerting of the new name "Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway" by Aug. 30, 2024.
The legendary rock musician died of a rare skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma.
Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon type of skin cancer that usually appears as a flesh-colored or bluish-red nodule, according to the Mayo Clinic. The cancer tends to spread quickly to other parts of the body and usually develops in older people.
But just how rare is Merkel cell carcinoma? According to Moffitt Cancer Center, approximately 1,500 people each year are diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma.
Illness had forced the 76-year-old to reschedule concerts in May and Buffett acknowledged in social media posts that he had been hospitalized but provided no specifics at the time.
Following his death, a statement on Buffett's website would reveal he had a four-year battle with Merkel cell carcinoma.
10 Tampa Bay's Claire Farrow, The Associated Press and TEGNA contributed to this report.