10 Most Famous Authors from Florida

Dave Barry by Ruhrfisch from Wikimedia Commons

10 Most Famous Authors from Florida

The Sunshine State is a natural beauty. The theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios attract millions of visitors every year. Moreover, Florida is packed with stunning gardens and landscapes. Then the warm climate and sandy beaches make this State a leading tourist destination.

You can head there with a good read anytime. In case you don’t like reading, J.K. Rowling says it’s because you haven’t found the right book. By the way, she is the author of the Harry Potter novel series. Whether you like to read or not, check out this list of Florida’s celebrated authors and you may end up with a favorite pick.

Check out the most famous authors for children’s books.

Here are the 10 Most Famous Authors from Florida.

1. Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen at the 2016 National Book Festival by Library of Congress from Wikimedia Commons

This American novelist and journalist was born on March 12, 1953, and grew up in  Plantation, Florida. Hiaasen began his career as a newspaper reporter and wrote novels during his spare time.

Carl is appreciated in the fiction, non-fiction, and short story genres. Further, he writes for both adult and young adult audiences. His adult-targeted novels are crime thrillers with good humor and address environmentalism and political corruption in Florida.

Two of his books as of 2022 have been made into feature films. Strip Tease (1993) was filmed in 1996 as a Striptease movie. The second is Hoot (2002) which was released as a movie in May 2006.

Best Works: Strip Tease (1993), Season (1986), Hoot (2002), Razor Girl (2016), The Edible Exile (2013)

Awards: National Headliners Award from Sigma Delta Chi in 1980, Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in 2010

2. Tim Dorsey

Tim Dorsey at Haslam’s Book Store, St. Petersburg, Florida by Ryan Abel from Wikimedia Commons

Dorsey was born in Indiana but grew up in Palm Beach County, Florida. His birthdate is January 25, 1961. He went to Auburn University where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in Transportation.

During his studies, he was the editor of the university’s student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman. Thus his first career duties were working as a reporter for several newspapers. But in 1999 he began full-time writing. Besides novels, he has written short stories and also has a collection of essays.

Best Works: 1999 Florida Roadkill, 2002 Triggerfish Twist, Atomic Lobster 2008, Mermaid Confidential 2022

Discover some of the best short stories by American authors.

3. John D. MacDonald

He was born on July 24, 1916, in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He lived in different areas throughout his life including New York. But in 1951 he moved his family to Florida and Sarasota was their home.

Furthermore, he was committed to novels in nonfiction, science fiction, and short stories. His 1939 MBA from Harvard University influenced some of his fiction creativity. Thus the novels depict a business world setting, with some involving shady financial or real estate dealings.

The Travis McGee book series was the most acclaimed work that made him an American novelist of his time and beyond. He sold about 70 million books throughout his career. He died of coronary artery bypass surgery complications on December 28, 1986, in St. Mary’s Hospital in Wisconsin.

Best works: Travis McGee series, 1957’s The Executioners– filmed as Cape Fear in 1962 and redesigned in 1991.

4. Harry Crews

The headline American author was born in Georgia on June 7, 1935. His father died while he was young so his mother remarried but left the marriage years later. Hence Crews, his mom, and his siblings moved to Florida where he lived most of his life. He wrote novels, short stories, and essays.

On top of that, Harry believed that authors had the mandate to write about their encounters in life. For instance, his Karate Is a Thing of the Spirit, The Hawk is Dying, and Body among others were his personal life experiences. He died of neuropathy complications on March 28, 2012.

Best works: The Gospel Singer, A Feast of Snakes, A Childhood: The Biography of a Place

5. Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston by Unknown author from Wikimedia Commons

She was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. Zora was born in Alabama on January 7, 1891. In 1894 her family moved to Florida.

Her writing was centered on African-American experiences and contemporary issues. Their Eyes Were Watching God published in 1937 was her most recognized work. She died on January 28, 1960, of hypertensive heart disease.

After her death, she was forgotten for many years until 1975. American novelist Alice Walker wrote an article titled In Search of Zora Neale Hurston in Ms. Magazine in March 1975. The report was later given the title Looking for Zora and from then on she has received countless posthumous honors.

Best works: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Mules and Men (1935), Jonah’s Gourd Vine (1934), Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica (1938)

Posthumous Awards: National Women’s Hall of Fame induction in 1994, New York Writers Hall of Fame in 2010, public facilities named in her honor like Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts

Read more about Zora here, Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Zora Neale Hurston.

6. Jack Kerouac

He was an American novelist and poet. Kerouac was one of the pioneers of the Beat Generation (a literary movement that influenced American culture and the political scene in the post-war era).

Additionally, he was born on March 12, 1922, in Massachusetts. Kerouac wandered to many areas but kept returning to Florida, partly because of family ties but in his final years, he settled in the area.

His themes cut across different subjects such as religion, city life, poverty, promiscuity, and drugs. On the Road, in 1957 was his approval as a beat icon. He died at 47 years on October 21, 1969. He suffered an abdominal hemorrhage due to a lifetime of heavy drinking.

Best works: On the Road in 1957, Town and the City (1950), The Dharma Bums, Big Sur, Desolation Angels.

7. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Portrait of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings by Carl Van Vechten from Wikimedia Commons

She was a renowned American writer of novels and short stories. Her literary pieces centered on Florida history and fiction.

Marjorie was born on August 8, 1896, in Washington, D.C. She developed an interest in writing at an early age and contested in junior competitions where she won several prizes.

In 1928 they bought a home near Hawthorne, Florida and so she relocated with her husband and family. The area excited her and so she wrote about its culture and life, putting it on the international map.

The Yearling, one of her most successful books captured rural life setting. It narrates a boy who adopted an orphaned fawn. This book was later adapted into a movie of the same name. The book has also won prizes. Many of her books have been adapted into films.

Best works: 1938 The Yearling, 1947 Mountain Prelude, 1931 Jacob’s Ladder, 1940 The Enemy, 1945 Miriam’s Houses

Awards: Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 for The Yearling

8. Pat Frank

The reckoned American writer cum journalist, Pat Frank was born on May 5, 1908, in Chicago. During his early career, he practiced journalism and worked for newspapers, agencies, and government bureaus.

Subsequently, he traveled and worked in different parts of the world but later settled in Tangerine, Florida. Frank penned his book Alas, Babylon while living in Florida. Vivian Owens (author with a good grasp of Florida’s history) says that “Pistolville” used by Frank in Alas, Babylon was an actual place in the region.

Pat wrote fiction and nonfiction novels as well as short stories. Mr. Adam (1946) was his first publication and one of his best works. Hold Back the Night of 1951 influenced the TV drama of the same name in 1956. The short story The Girl Who Almost Got Away triggered the 1964s comedy, Man’s Favorite Sport? Frank died on October 12, 1964, in Atlantic Beach, Florida at the age of 56 years.

Best works: Alas, Babylon in 1959, Mr. Adam 1946, Forbidden Area (1956), Hold Back the Night (1951)

Awards: American Heritage Foundation Award in 1961

Meet famous Mexican authors here.

9. Dave Barry

Dave Barry, after the Washington Post Hunt June 5, 2011, by Amazur from Wikimedia Commons

Barry was born in Armonk, New York on July 3, 1947, but he lives in South Florida. He has a good sense of humor in his books and columns. He is applauded for his comic novels and children’s novels.

Best works: 1999 Big Trouble, Tricky Business (2002), The Bridge to Neverland (2011, with Ridley Pearson), Dave Barry in Cyberspace (1996)

Awards: Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in1988, Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2005

10. Randy Wayne White

This Florida writer was born in 1950 in Ohio and resides in Sanibel, Florida since 1972. White is prominent for his Doc Ford novels whose theme is a marine biologist on an adventure yet his military background is a mystery.

On top of that, he is a New York Times bestseller. He has contributed to many magazines on diverse issues. He has also lectured across the United States.

Best works: Doc Ford Novels like Sanibel Flats 1990, Shark River 2001, Chasing Midnight 2012, Caribbean Rim 2018, Salt River 2020

Here are a few more Florida writers worth noting. Totch Brown (Loren G. Brown) he came from Chokoloskee. Will Granger lives in Estero. Jack E. Davis, the 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner for his work The Gulf: The Making of an American sea. Davis lives in Gainesville and is a history professor at the University of Florida.