What is the story behind the Conch Republic?

At noon, on the day of secession, at Mallory Square in Key West Florida, Mayor Wardlow read the proclamation of secession and proclaimed aloud that the Conch Republic was an independent nation separate from the U.S. read more

But The Conch Republic comes from the locals (Key West) declaring it self a Sovereign Nation from the United States back in 1982 when the border patrol set up a roadblock checking for narcotics and immigrants on the only road into to the keys. read more

The "Conch Republic" is the name the people of Key West refer to themselves, but also to Key West's threat in the 1980s to succeed from the United States. read more

Seeing another chance at publicity, Wardlow and the forces behind the 1982 Conch Republic secession mobilized the island for a full-scale war (which meant firing water cannons from fireboats and hitting people with stale Cuban bread), and protested to the Department of Defense for arranging this exercise without consulting the City of Key West. read more