The Florida State Negro Baseball League was the top tier of negro baseball in Florida in terms of play and producing talent for higher level teams, particularly the Negro major leagues. It was founded, disintegrated and reformed over the time period from 1932 until around 1953 after which while the league still existed it lost top talent to the white minor leagues on a regular basis. E. H. McLin writing in the St. Petersburg Times in 1955, recollects the details of the beginning, which he claims to have been at.
March 1932 – David “Fats” Waitman, relatively new to Tampa but with experience in professional negro baseball called a meeting of interested parties in Jacksonville. The attendees (potential owners) and the teams represented were:
Tampa Pepsi Cola Giants David “Fats” Waitman
St. Petersburg Florida Stars Jack Peters & E. H. McLin
Orlando All-S tars Felix Crosby
Jacksonville Red Caps Carl “Bubber” Ford
West Palm Beach Black Yankees Bill Elam
Bradenton Nine Devils Bish Christopher
Lakeland Tigers Jesse Richardson
Daytona Beach Black Cats James Keys
(Bartow) Polk County All-Stars Ben Williams
Keys is named league President and McLin is Executive Secretary
Most online sources do not indicate the FSNBL as being formed until 1945. I have two theories on this: first, McLin, who was the person primarily responsible for documenting the league was at the original meeting but did not start writing for the St. Petersburg Times until 1945. McLin mentioned the formation of the league in a 1945 article. I believe he meant reformation after WWII. The team ownerships are virtually the same in ’45 as it was in “32.
I have found a team by the name “Florida Stars” playing prior to 1932 and up until 1942. They were known to play barnstorming Negro Major League teams and were likely based in St. Pete. Jimmy Hill is said to have owned them, which is the only ownership difference I can find. It could be the same team, could be different. If different, St. Pete had three men’s negro teams and two women’s playing in 1932. Hopefully, more will be found as we go.