The Lizard King Grows Up

There was no such thing as staying inside when I was a kid in Key West.

The island didn't work that way.

You woke up, grabbed your bike, disappeared for the day, and somehow made it home by dinner. The heat, the salt air, the roosters, the water, the people — it all became part of you.

My particular obsession was lizards.

Key West is full of geckos and anoles. They're everywhere. Most kids chased them. I caught them.

I don't know exactly why I was so good at it. I just had a feel for it. Once I caught one, I'd gently stroke its back until it settled down. Then, because I was an eight-year-old boy and eight-year-old boys are weird, I'd stick them on my ears or the end of my nose and walk around like it was completely normal.

To me, it was.

I kept a little terrarium. Fed them freeze-dried flies. Always let them go.

At some point, my friends started calling me "The Lizard King."

The name stuck.

"Buggs," Briefly

In 1992, a film crew came to Key West to shoot CrissCross, a movie starring Goldie Hawn.

When something like that happens in a town this small, everybody knows about it.

Especially the kids.

We hovered around the set the way kids hover around anything exciting. Curious. Persistent. Usually in the way.

Somewhere along the line, somebody noticed the kid carrying lizards around like accessories.

The next thing I knew, I had a small role in the movie. My character's name was "Buggs."

I wasn't exactly discovered. I didn't move to Hollywood. But for a brief moment, my unusual talent for handling small reptiles landed me on a real movie set in my hometown.

CrissCross cast on set in Key West On set in Key West, 1992.

Looking back, it's one of those stories that only makes sense in Key West.

Why This Matters

The older I get, the more I realize this story isn't really about lizards or movies.

It's about belonging somewhere.

Being from somewhere.

Key West isn't just where I work. It's where I grew up. It's where I met my wife. It's where we're raising our son. It's where my family is building its future.

When you've spent your entire life in a place, you see it differently. You know the rhythm of it. The neighborhoods. The people. The little things visitors might never notice but locals understand instinctively.

Those things matter.

Not because they're written in a market report.

Because they're lived.

The Lizard King Sells Houses Now

Today I help people buy and sell homes in the same community that shaped me.

I still love this island. I probably always will.

And while my days of walking around with geckos attached to my face are mostly behind me, the curiosity that kid had never really went away.

Neither did my connection to Key West.

So if you're thinking about making this island your home, I'd be honored to help.

After all, I've been studying this place my entire life.

It just started with lizards.