State of Fla. "rich" source material for author

If the state of Florida decided to elect a writer-in-chief, Carl Hiaasen might be the only name on the ballot. "It's not South Carolina, it's not Ohio, it's not New Hampshire," Hiassen said of Florida. "It's more like the rest of the country, except, of course more twisted and bizarre."

Hiassen calls Florida "a weird collision of cultures. And the result is wonderful if you're a novelist or a journalist, because the material is so rich. If you're a normal human being trying to get by, some days are pretty -- some days are pretty hairy."

Hiaasen is at work on his 24th book and, for 27 years, he's had a column in the Miami Herald. Though most of his writing skewers the state where he was born, he still loves and is deeply concerned about it.

The political landscape in Florida has "a certain amount of chaos" Hiassen said. "There's going to be a whole different pitch that they have to give in the panhandle, because it really is much more like southern Alabama, southern Georgia. And then Miami and the Keys is a whole different thing. Immigration's going to be much more, a much more contentious issue in Miami than it is up in Gaston County. You can't make the same speech up there that you make in Dade County. Can't do it."

To see the entire Hiassen interview, click on the video in the player above.