The 57 Club: My Four Decades in Florida Politics.

The 57 Club

By Frederick B. Karl

The 57 Club was the self-assigned name of the 39 legislators first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1956. Frederick Karl, an attorney from Volusia County, became one of those first 39. His recently released autobiography, The 57 Club, recalls those first early years, when Florida was in the midst of transformation away from its rural, racially segregated Deep South roots, but also offers intimate details into his half-century in public service.

By sharing his own experiences and reactions, describing what he witnessed or heard along the way, and telling stories about friends and colleagues, Karl gives readers a front row seat to some of the most captivating and turbulent moments in 20th century Florida politics. His insights into how the legislature functions--from the politics of committee assignments to the usefulness of lobbyists, from the savvy use of rules on the floor to debating skills, from polite ways of punishing unethical colleagues to the use of humor to calm angry exchanges--all make for an interesting tale.

The 57 Club provides readers with a variety of details, including stories of how Tallahassee became Florida's capital city and information about the controversial Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (more widely known as the Johns Committee).

The inaugural volume in the series "Florida Government and Politics," The 57 Club is available from booksellers nationwide, or can be bought directly from University Press of Florida at ww.upf.com.