- Founded 23 April 1982
- Motto We Seceded Where Others Failed
- Independence day April 23
- National instrument Conchalele
In 1982 the Conch Republic was declared as a ludic protest against a Border Patrol blockade which was installed by the US Federal Government to control drug trafficking in and out the Florida Keys. As a result of this roadblock, tourists cancelled their visits and the local community saw their biggest source of income disappear and turned to their Mayor Dennis Wardlow. After a lost lawsuit to stop the roadblock, Wardlow told the press “We are going to go home and secede”. Wardlow declared independence from and war against the US, and surrendered on the same day, demanding one million dollars to restore the pre-blockade economy. The locals view their secession not as a revolutionary act against the US but rather the opposite—they felt that they were alienated as Americans. In the end the publicity surrounding the faux secession led to a new source of income for the local entrepreneurs.