05/27/2026
We’d like to share a “personal interest” story that is very near and dear to the Safe Harbor and beaches families. In 2019 we lost our beloved Larry Hobbs to bladder cancer after a long courageous battle. Larry worked with us for close to 30 years. If you enjoyed local shrimp and fish in the North Florida area (and well beyond) chances are Larry unloaded the boat it was caught on. He was our “Strong Man” and ran the docks at Safe Harbor with an iron fist. To those that knew him, he was a gentle giant and his smile lit up every room he walked into. Larry was best friends with Chris Wooten who runs the seafood market and restaurant in Mayport and also owns Sliders Oyster Bar in Neptune Beach. Chris is 1 of 9 children. Chris would see Larry walking home from school (Fletcher) everyday in the early 80’s. One day after about 6 months of walking the same path home, Chris asked Larry if he wanted to come over and listen to some records. Larry accepted the invite and never left. He literally became child number 10 of The Wooten household. Chris’s Dad took Larry in as one of his own and started taking him to dental / medical appointments. Larry lost his father at age 9 and he really took to Mr Wooten. Chris and Larry shared a room from that day on and eventually got their first apartment after graduation. Chris had been a Neptune Beach Lifeguard for a couple of summers and now that they had their own apartment Chris came up with an idea to get Larry a day job as a Neptune Beach Lifeguard summer of 1985. Larry stocked groceries at Publix at night time. The apartment was up on the ocean and every evening before Larry went to his night shift, Chris would teach Larry all the swim strokes and lifeguard holds (cross chest carry, chin level off, buoy throws etc). It took over a month of practice before Chris felt Larry was comfortable and had overcome his fears. Needless to say, Larry passed the test and became the first black lifeguard in Neptune Beach history !! Recently, the City of Neptune Beach approached Chris and told him they would be naming The Neptune Beach Lifeguard Station after Larry. It is now officially The Larry Hobbs Neptune Beach Lifeguard Station. The Safe Harbor Family can’t thank the City of Neptune Beach enough for this amazing honor and tribute to a very deserving person. We celebrated a couple of weeks ago as they unveiled the new sign. Thank you to all who came out in Larry’s honor !! We all miss him so much. 💪🏾🛟💙🙏🏼
