Mikey Caruso has lived in Delray Beach for the last 28 years. He is a champion barefoot water-skier and an avid fisherman. He also the stepson of Tracy Caruso, President of Delray Beach Executive Suites. Below is a short interview that Tracy conducted with Mikey. Check it out to see what Delray Beach is like through the eyes of a local .
Tracy: When did you move to Delray Beach?
Mikey: I’ve been here since I was 2 years old. I’m 30 now.
Tracy: What neighborhood did you grow up in and what did you like about it?
Mikey: I grew up in Lake Ida. Waterskiing, fishing, sunsets, boating, and the animals. There were alligators, ducks, birds, turtles, raccoons, rabbits, bobcats, and fish. I used to do a lot of bass fishing on the lake. When I was a little kid, I loved playing with the minnows. We had our own beach. I would dig canals on the beach and fill them up the minnows and watch them swim down into the lake. We also had a lot of fruit trees. I ate fruit everyday. We had tangerine trees and also orange, grapefruit, lemon, and, of course, coconuts. My dad would grab 2 tangerines everyday before we would go out on the boat to waterski. My dad would also prepare fresh coconut water, straight from the trees.
Tracy: It sounds like you grew up in a family friendly neighborhood.
Mikey: Lake Ida is definitely a family neighborhood. My sister Christie and I would set up lemonade stands by the side of the road. I fished with my brother Andrew. I also used to love skim boarding with another one of my brothers, JP. I used to take my youngest brother, Danny, tubing behind the boat. I also loved watching Christie perform in plays at the Delray Beach Playhouse. I always used to play with my sister, Caroline, at the beach. My sister Kimmy is an actress and we used to go to her plays at Banyan Creek Elementary school. (Mikey has 6 siblings.) On weekends, the family would go to the beach and build sandcastles.
Tracy: It sounds like your family really took advantage of what Delray Beach has to offer. Tell me about barefoot water skiing.
Mikey: One day, my dad and a neighbor took me water skiing. I used to watch them ski and one day I said that I wanted to water ski. My dad held me up while waterskiing and that was the first time I tried barefoot skiing. I was two and half years old. Later, I became a junior world champion barefoot waterskiing. I had numerous sponsors growing up and it all started on Lake Ida. Tony’s Deli was one of my local sponsors.
Tracy: You seem to love fishing in Delray. Tell me about that.
Mikey: There’s just always a ton of fish and they’re always biting. Delray has snook, bass, fresh water catfish, blue gill, tilapia, shiners, snapper, kingfish, grouper, and mullet.
Tracy: Don’t forget monk fish! That’s what you caught for us and made for dinner last month. How has Delray changed the most over the years?
Mikey: It’s definitely busier but in a good way. There are a lot more people. Atlantic Avenue has gotten a lot bigger and a lot prettier. There are a lot more stores and events. Delray has such fun events now such as the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The 100 foot tree wasn’t in Delray when I was a very little kid. Delray does an amazing job of the holidays. The Christmas parade is so nice. I love the 4th of July fireworks. One of my favorites is the Saint Patrick’s Day festival at Saint Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church. That was the church my family used to go to every Sunday.
I just loved growing up in Delray Beach. We lived in a safe and secure neighborhood and I was able to do things with my friends and siblings without worrying about safety. The people here are so friendly. It’s just really easy to make friends here.