Mary Tibbals Ventre is a writer/photographer who has been fascinated by Florida Highway A1A from childhood. She first came to know it while fishing with her grandfather in the surf along A1A. Since then, and especially in the last 10 years, she has spent a great deal of time visiting A1A, researching its history and taking photographs along the road.

After moving to Florida in 2000 she followed up on her lifelong interest in Florida Highway A1A by writing this book, Evolution of a Coastal Treasure: Florida's Highway A1A, which concentrates on the physical, environmental, historical, and social aspects of the coastal road.