Florida has a long history of attracting the\u00a0rich<\/a>,\u00a0talented<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0famous<\/a>, while producing some\u00a0legends and icons<\/a>\u00a0itself. But which one is the most famous?<\/p>\n The USA TODAY Network-Florida is continuing its search for the most famous Floridian. As of Sept. 24, we are down to just five people, including one historic figure and American inventor, three late musicians and singers and one late actor who was an FSU alumnus.<\/p>\n On Aug. 27, we published a staff-created list<\/a> of 150 famous Floridians: living, deceased, natives, some who owned second or third homes here, and even including celebrities whose lives or careers have impacted Florida culture.<\/p>\n In the first round of polling, readers narrowed down their top 50 from that list. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, we published the fourth round of voting, which narrowed that list down from the top 10 to the top five. The fourth round of voting closed on Sunday, Sept. 21. Now, it’s time to choose the most famous Floridian of them all (see poll below).<\/p>\n Here’s how to vote (our poll is below<\/strong>), along with a list of some notable names that were eliminated from the poll in the first four rounds.<\/p>\n Snubbed! <\/strong>These Floridian celebrities didn’t make our ‘most famous’ list. See some we missed<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Our staff-created list covered a wide range of people and is not limited to just native Floridians. This list included famous people who once lived here, own second or third homes, and even people whose careers are or were closely tied to the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n Readers have already cast votes to narrow the list of 150 down to just five people, and we are entering our fifth and final round of voting. As of Sept. 24, the late, great Jimmy Buffett is still in the lead as the most famous Floridian, with Tom Petty in second place and Burt Reynolds in third.<\/p>\n The rules are simple: click the poll below and select your nomination for the most famous Floridian. The fifth poll will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 28. After the results are in, we will publish the results of who the most famous Floridian is on Wednesday, Oct. 2.<\/p>\n Here are the top five heading into the final round, in order of their ranking:<\/strong><\/p>\n Singer Jimmy Buffett performs during NBC’s ‘Today’ show Summer Concert Series in New York City, U.S., July 29, 2016. REUTERS\/Brendan McDermid<\/p>\n Despite what many think, the late Jimmy Buffett isn’t a\u00a0native Floridian<\/a>. The singer was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on Christmas Day 1946, and grew up in Mobile, Alabama.<\/p>\n According to the official Key West Margaritaville website, Buffett was first introduced to the Keys in 1972 when visiting his singer-songwriter friend, Jerry Jeff Walker, in Coconut Grove.\u00a0It explained that Walker offered Buffett “refuge” since he was down on his luck after ending his marriage and not getting any offers for his music.<\/p>\n He soon fully moved to the Keys and worked on a fishing boat during the day while playing throughout the town’s streets at night.\u00a0Once moving to Florida, he was completely hooked and fully embraced the Key West lifestyle \u2014 both his songs and his casual uniform of Hawaiian shirts, shorts and flip-flops.<\/p>\n Years later, his personal brand began expanding in 1985 with the opening of a string of Margaritaville-themed stores and restaurants in Key West, followed in 1987 with the first Margaritaville Caf\u00e9 nearby. The brand has since expanded to dozens of categories, such as resorts, restaurants, food items, apparel and even cruise lines.<\/p>\n In addition to the Keys, Buffett also owned homes in Palm Beach. He died in September 2023 due to\u00a0complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with which he had been diagnosed four years earlier.<\/p>\n Tom Petty and his band the Heartbreakers.<\/p>\n One of the most iconic rock ‘n’ roll legends was born and raised in Gainesville: singer Tom Petty<\/a>. He attended Howard Bishop Middle School and\u00a0Gainesville High School.<\/p>\n He formed the band Mudcrutch in Gainesville in the years after graduating from high school. After they split, he later went on to create “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers” in 1976 and the 1980s supergroup “The Traveling Wilburys” alongside Bob Dylan, Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Roy Orbison.<\/p>\n Petty died in October 2017 at age 66 after an accidental overdose.<\/p>\n Burt Reynolds<\/a> was one of the most recognizable faces of the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in hit movies such as “Smokey and the Bandit,” “The Longest Yard,” and “Deliverance.”<\/p>\n While the icon was born in Michigan, he moved to Riviera Beach in the sixth grade and attended Palm Beach High School. He attended Florida State University, where he played football for only parts of two seasons (1954\u00a0and 1957) due to injuries.<\/p>\n While he did not graduate, he was later awarded an honorary doctorate from FSU in 1981. Previously, he was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1977.<\/p>\n He had opened up restaurants in South Florida, including Po’Folks, which still has five locations left in Florida. Reynolds also founded the “Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre” in Jupiter in 1979, which later evolved into the “Maltz Jupiter Theatre” in 2004.<\/p>\n Reynolds was a minority owner of the\u00a0Tampa Bay Bandits\u00a0of the USFL\u00a0from 1982 until they ceased operations in 1986.<\/p>\n He owned houses in Jupiter and Hobe Sound. Reynolds died of a heart attack at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter in September 2018.<\/p>\n American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).<\/p>\n While he was born in Ohio and raised in Michigan, inventor and businessman Thomas Edison certainly made his mark on Southwest Florida.<\/a><\/p>\n Edison purchased a 13-acre parcel of land along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers and constructed his winter estate, which would later become known as “Seminole Lodge.” For decades, the Edison family, along with inventor Henry Ford, would spend their winters in the sunny oasis.<\/p>\n To this day, the city celebrates Edison with annual “Edison Festival of Light” parades. History buffs can explore his estate along the river, which is now referred to as the “Edison and Ford Winter Estates.”<\/a><\/p>\n Musician Ray Charles performing at a microphone, c. 1960.<\/p>\n One of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, Ray Charles, was born in Albany, Georgia, and raised in rural Greenville, Florida, which is roughly 43 miles east of Tallahassee.<\/p>\nSee rules for ‘Famous Floridians’ 2025 draft, final round of voting<\/h2>\n
Singer and ‘Margaritaville’ creator Jimmy Buffett<\/h2>\n
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Rock musician Tom Petty<\/h2>\n
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Actor Burt Reynolds<\/h2>\n
Inventor and businessman Thomas Edison<\/h2>\n
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Legendary singer Ray Charles<\/h2>\n
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