Hi Fellas, I've been a lurker here for months.

I was born in NY, but we moved here in 1971 ( I was 7) but more importantly I've been following LCN since I'm like 15 years old (and I'm past 50 now).

The reason for my posting today is because I wanted to hear about anybody's gangster experiences that they may have had in South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Hollywood, Boca Raton, Hallendale etc.) these places where LOADED with gangsters from NY when I was growing up down here.

I dropped out of school at 15 and one of my first jobs was at a place called "Tre Amici" in Hollywood. I saw many old timers in that place including"Jimmy "Blue Eyes" Alo and Ettore "Terry" Zappi. THe Feds actually had the place bugged the whole time it was open. It made the papers and everything.

When I was finally old enough to work in nightclubs I became a professional musician which is what I have been doing for the last 30+ years.

The clubs here in the late 1970's and 80's were full of wiseguys (though there were also just as many "wannabees")

Anybody out there remember places like the "Bonfire" in Miami Beach or the "Club Top Draw"? What about "The Place For Steak"? the "Top of the Home" in Hollywood or "Hemmigways"? "Pier 66" in Ft. Laud. (Joe Pistone actually mentions that place in a wiretap you can hear on youtube).

Even though its not like it used to be here any more, they still show up now and then...... I was working at a little joint in Boca and who should walk in but "Skinny Joey". I went right up to him and said hello. He bought me a drink, seemed like a great guy but you could tell that he's someone you'd never want to mess with.

I have a few good stories I'll post later, but more importantly I'd like to hear from anybody who was around SF in the good old days.

Thanks,
Salvi

Welcome.

Welcome Salvia. I'm sure you'll like it here.





TIS

One of the most infamous "mob" restaurants was located in Ft. Lauderdale, Sonken's Gold Coast Restaurant owned by Joe Sonken, who was very close to the Chicago Outfit. The restaurant served as a meeting place for messages throughout the years between "many" of the families across the U.S.

I lived in Jupiter for 6 years in the early 2000's and ran into John "No Nose" Difronzo from Chicago at a place in Palm Beach Gardewns called Carmine's. Make a long story short, Carmine Giardini, restauranteur and upscale grocery stores, was stabbed a few weeks later in the parking lot of his restaurant. Ironically, it was an off duty cop that came in from Chicago. I remember being a bit puzzled as to the timing of DiFronzo in South Florida and the stabbing that took place shortly after. Don't think there was a connection, but Carmine supposedly borrowed money from some other mob connected guys for some of his expansion in South Florida.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01...-police-reports

There were dozens of places around here and that was definitely one of them. It was on the intracostal side of the Hollywood Beach almost directly across from the old Hollywood Beach Hotel.

I actually did work there but only a few private parties, never anything "steady", you know like three nights a week etc.

I saw Joe Sonken around but like I said was never a steady employee there so I never really got to know him. Always heard very nice things about him though.

Salvi

Welcome, Salvi. First off, don't be surprised if the mods move this thread into the "Organized Crime" section.

I'm also in my 50's (just turned 54). Anyway, I've lived in the Bronx all my life. But for the past fifteen years we've owned a place in Delray Beach where we now spend three or four months a year, depending on the family and whatnot. Prior to that my parents had a place in Sunny Isles for many years, and my in-laws currently live in the Jupiter Colony condos near the Jupiter inlet, so I'm extremely familiar with the area.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're a Broward guy? Doesn't really matter. I remember a few wiseguy haunts in that area that you probably remember. The Diplomat in Hallandale was always a big draw for those guys (they freakin LOVE hotel bars ). Also, the old Howard Johnson's in Deerfield (I'm pretty sure it's a Wyndham now) used to have a patio bar overlooking the ocean. I never saw him there, but I was once told that Nicky Scarfo was a regular there (like I said, I'm a Bronx guy anyway, so I wouldn't have recognized many Philly guys from back then).

Lots of guys with second homes in Broward and Southern Palm Beach County today. But none that I'm comfortable posting about .

But again, welcome to the boards, Salvi .

This was originally posted in the OC Forum. Since its main purpose is an introduction I moved it the General Forum, where it belongs.

Oh, okay .

The Diplomat Hotel or "The Dip" as musicians used to call it. The "boys" really did love that place, they hung out in "The Tack Room" which was a really nice bar with a big stage where they hired nightclub acts mostly.

I worked many times in the big room, the "Café Crystal". I can't count how many times I was in there, played Liza, Dolly Parton, Barry Manilow, Sammy Davis and on and on.....

They blew up the original Dip back in the late 1990's and built a beautiful brand new "Diplomat". The only problem is that there isn't a peep of live music in the entire place. When it first opened I played with Sinatra Jr, in there, after that big opening they seem to have done away with all live music.

The reason I put this in the other forum was because I wanted to hear about any wiseguy sightings from people who may have been around here back in the day.

Speaking of Nicky Scarfo.... He used to like to take his boat over to "Turnberry Isle" in Aventura (North Miami). There are tons of FBI pics of them there.

Salvi

Welcome to the family.

Pizzaboy,

My Mom always talks about hanging out in the Bronx when She was young (Shes from West New Rochelle). Anyway I played this doowop show a few years ago. One of musical directors for one of the groups was from the Arthur Ave. area. He was telling me that the Italian section is down to like one street now, is that true?

Pretty much. I grew up in the heart of that neighborhood (187th and Hoffman), and I'm a geek for demographics, so you're in luck .

According to the 2010 census, the 10458 zip code (the Arthur Avenue area) was less than 10 percent Italian American. But the stores and restaurants are still Italian, and I suspect they will be for a long time to come.

Most Italian American families split for the suburbs a long time ago. I still live in the Bronx myself, in Throggs Neck. But this neighborhood looks more like Lower Westchester than the rest of the Bronx. And by that I just mean that it's mostly private houses and the subway doesn't come here (the 6 train ends at Pelham Bay Park).

My Grandparents bought a house right next door to us when we moved here. They would sometimes stay 7 close to 8 months out of every year in Florida.

They would always drive and my Grandfather always made a stop at Arthur Ave. He was a little on the cheap side so he bought his own professional deli slicer.

Every year he would bring enough cold cuts and cheese to last him the whole winter and then some. He wound up giving a lot away to his friends. He never stopped talking about how everything was a rip off in Fl.

When I grew up here in Hollywood in the 1970's there were no less than 9 or 10 Italian specialty food stores here. Mimi's Ravioli is still made in the original plant right on Johnson Street in Hollywood, and they ship their ravioli all over the US.

Sadly most of those stores are gone, there are only a few left and with time they will go too. The city of Miramar Fl in the 1970;s was at least 75% Italian. At one time the mayor and the entire city commission were all Italian. Now Miramar is more like 75% Haitian, Jamacian, and West Indian. Can you believe that Miramar used to have a huge San Gennaro every year. Now its called something like "Carribean Festival.

Like my Pop says "Things seldom change for the better"

Salvi

Hi Salvie welcome aboard! Wondered if you could shed some light on how crazy Miami etc was in the early 80s with the cocaine wars surely that was something that sticks out more in your mind than Mafia influence? Must of been a crazy time to live in Florida!

Absolutely....

I was working in a bunch of Latin clubs back then. There were a sh!t load of them all with live music and all there to wash cocaine money. It was a GREAT time for musicians.

Just off the top of my head there was "La Clave", "Club Tyrona" "Ricks Bar" and at least 6 or 7 more just in Hialeah. Then in Coral Gables you had "Papa Grande" (Big Daddys). In Miami there was the "Hotel Mutiny" (many big drug dealers hung out there)

But the biggest club of them all (size wise) was a place called "Club International" (pronounced inter-nasion-AL) in Spanish.

I worked at most of them at one time or another. You would go to the bathroom and there would be coke EVERYWERE. I'm talking lines laid out on top of toilets, by the sink, on top of paper towel racks. And it was all there for FREE. Just for the taking. I have no idea who put it there but that stuff was all over the place. Everybody coming out of the mens room would be rubbing their nose.

This was back during the "cocaine cowboys era" That's when the Miami cops were in with the drug dealers. They were literally finding a body every day back then. In trunks, canals, in the water off the causeway (same place they found Johnny Roselli back in the 70's in an oil drum)

When you worked in these clubs they would usually have three different bands a night (the bigger clubs anyway) one band would play a set starting at 9, then another band would come in at 12, then one at 2 or 3 in the morning.

It was not unusual to see limos pull up in front of these clubs and see a 50 year old man with a knock out 20 year old girl. These guys were the big dealers. They would sometimes tip the entire band 5000.00 to play a couple of songs. Like I said it was a great time to be a musician.

Once the Feds really started hammering these drug cartels , and the whole cocaine cowboys thing came to light these clubs started to close like dominos falling. Just one after another would close. It would not be unusual to be called for a gig and see five or six guys standing in front of a padlocked club.

I worked in a club once called the "El Salsero". It was in a bad part of Miami off US1 and 33rd street. The guy who owned it had put a hit out on a Miami cop and also his family. Well the crooked Miami cops went to this guys house, handcuffed him to a chair and beat him to death. Needless to say the "El Slasero" closed....

There is a really good documentary that comes on now and then, it also might be on YouTube called "Miami's Cocaine Wars".

It was just one big party for about 7 or 8 years.

Salvi

This shows a little of what it was like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ4pWzA6gIE

Thanks, I have also seen the Cocaine Cowboys movie which was excellent. So when the police cracked down and it ended what happened? So was the 90s completely different there to the 80s?
It seems as if it all ended so quickly, did most of these Cubans, and Colombians move away from Miami after this period? Sorry for so many questions! Just fascinated with that period ever since I saw Scarace

just watch the bad boys,bad boys whatcha gonna do, the other ones took over, i love early 90's episodes of cops! lol

Yeah. the 90's were totally different from the late 70's to mid 80's.

The clubs all closed up one by one. All that drug money just went away. You could still but coke pretty cheap (80$ gr)but all the big time dealers were gone.

Salvi