PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Before John's Pass became the tourist destination that it is today, it was a seaside community in danger of becoming extinct. 

That's when local business owner Willis "Jabo" Stewart took action.

At the time, as Stewart's son John recalls, the construction of a new bridge was threatening to divert commercial traffic away from the community. 

"[The bridge] moved all the traffic, and so [Jabo] was concerned that nobody would come to the merchants," John explained. "So he spearheaded John's Pass Village."

"Jabo" Stewart owned "Jabo's Market" back then, but the area quickly grew, and John told us he grew up right along with it.

“We were here when it was a real village,” John said. “There was a store. There was a department store. There was gas. There was a drug store. You didn't have to leave this area, these few blocks. You could live your whole life.”

"Jabo" lived to watch the area grow and change. He passed away on Oct. 1 at the age of 95, but his legacy is still very much alive.

For more on the life and legacy of Willis "Jabo" Stewart, watch the video above.