Local author writes books about the history of Tampa's mafias

TAMPA, Fla. - If you could turn back time in Tampa, you’d see the Cigar City has a thousand stories, including the ones in the book Cigar City Mafia by Scott Deitche. 

"Occasionally I’ll get people who are like ‘Why do you talk about that history? Why do you dredge it up?' But that history was part of the history of Tampa," said Deitche, who moved here from New Jersey. 

He attended Eckerd College, became an environmental engineer and developed a fixation with the Mafia that led to the publication of Cigar City Mafia 20 years ago. 

Deitche followed it with a book called The Silent Don. It focused on Santo Trafficante, Jr., Tampa’s reputed Mafia boss. Those books and several that would follow fed people’s fascination with the mob. 

"I think the fascination is that this group of people live outside the law," shared Deitche. "They kind of do their own thing. You wouldn’t do it yourself, but you’re kind of fascinated by this underworld."

 It’s a fascination he found years ago after watching the 1990 mob movie, Goodfellas.

"It started the wheels turning and the casual interest became more of an obsession," he said. And it hasn’t stopped. 

"I’ve always wanted to do a book about New York and the gritty 70’s,"shared Deitche. His new book is called Hitmen, The Mafia, Drugs, and the Harlem Purple Gang. 

It’s his fifth Mafia book since Cigar City Mafia almost 20 years ago. People still buy that first book. 

"And I still, on a weekly basis, get inquiries from people that grew up in Tampa or knew people in Tampa," said the author.

Deitche said that some readers give him new information on old mob activities. He may write a sequel to Cigar City Mafia. 

In the meantime, Deitche leads Mafia Tours of Ybor City. For more information, visit: TampaMafia.com