A Florida Keys native whose past includes international drug smuggling, imprisonment in the Cayman Islands and years spent living underground to protect her son is sharing her life story in a new book, hoping her experiences will help others find a way forward from difficult circumstances.
Francine Fox is the author of Pirate Bunny: A True Story and Extraordinary Life, which chronicles her journey from a troubled childhood into the world of drug smuggling and eventually toward rebuilding her life.
Fox joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about her book and her life.
Fox described growing up in a family of Cuban immigrants. Her father was an electronic engineer who helped build the naval base on Stock Island, while her mother had been an attorney in Cuba.
Fox said her father was abusive, and after her parents divorced, her mother became involved with a major drug smuggler.
At just 15 years old, Fox said she began transporting drugs, initially without fully understanding the world she had entered.
She later worked as a Playboy Bunny before returning to the drug trade. In 1990, she was arrested in the Cayman Islands after being caught with more than a ton of cocaine.
Fox said she was sentenced to 11 years in prison but ultimately served four years. The other two men arrested with her, the ship’s captain and second mate, were released earlier, leaving her alone in prison for much of her sentence.
She described the experience as brutal but said it ultimately changed the direction of her life.
While incarcerated, Fox said she worked to improve conditions for other women by establishing educational and vocational opportunities.
“I brought in a GED program. I taught these women to make crafts, so that they can sell crafts to the tourists instead of selling their bodies, or looking for drugs, or doing the wrong things,” Fox said.
She also helped bring sewing machines and a library into the prison, hoping to show the women they could find legitimate ways to support themselves and their families.
After returning to the Florida Keys, Fox worked as a bartender in Islamorada and at several local establishments.
She eventually had a son with a Key West boat captain and boat builder, but her son’s father was murdered just seven months after the child was born.
Fox said she feared for her own safety and her son’s, prompting her to disappear from public view for approximately 20 years.
“I took my baby and I went underground for 20 years to protect my son from my life, my past, the people that had murdered his father,” she said.
Fox said she wanted to ensure her son would not experience the same kind of childhood she had endured.
She also explained that she chose not to disclose information that could have identified those responsible for the murder because she feared doing so could expose her and her son to further danger.
Fox said the experience ultimately forced her to reconsider the consequences of her earlier choices.
“I redeemed myself because I realized that everything that I was doing to other people’s children in this world was going to come back and bite me with my own, so that’s when my transformation came,” she said.
She added that she believes people can change their lives, regardless of how difficult their circumstances may have been.
“If anyone says that they cannot change, it’s because they don’t want to. There’s always a possibility of tomorrow, one day at a time, to do the right thing and live the right kind of life,” Fox said.
Fox said she is now remarried and happy, and her son has established a career of his own in Central Florida. She credited her husband with helping her bring her story to life.
She hopes the book will encourage people who feel trapped by their past or current circumstances.
“If this person can make it out of the darkest of the dark, anyone can make it out,” she said.
Fox also said she is grateful for the support she has received from the Florida Keys community, where she considers herself at home.
“I’m a native Conch. My son was born in Lower Keys Medical, so the Keys mean the world to me, and this is my home, and this is where I feel safe,” she said.
Fox has several upcoming appearances and book signings scheduled, including a November 19 event at Lazy Days in Islamorada from 4 to 7 p.m. She will also appear at the Moose Lodge Christmas Extravaganza on Big Pine Key on November 21.
She said she is also scheduled to appear at the Miami Springs Country Club on November 13.
Fox said she hopes to connect with readers and others who may benefit from hearing her experiences. She also mentioned that Netflix representatives have expressed interest in her story.
More information about Fox and her book is available at foxdateproductions.com.