Photographer Lynn Rabren, at that time the most recent Channel 8 ship-jumper, was assigned to Larry full time and the rest is history.  They traveled every corner of the state together doing “Assignment Florida.” Later, the franchise evolved into “Larry Elliston’s Down Home Florida,” lensed by Keith Hale.

Larry would often set out with no particular destination or story idea in mind.  Oddly enough, no matter what direction he headed there was a great story…or several of them.  Once, Larry and Keith stopped in Sumterville for some fresh squeezed orange juice and found that people were coming from miles around just for a glass of OJ. The remote and long-forgotten “mom and pop” juice stand was a holdover from the days of Old Florida and Larry’s contribution that week to the Tampa Bay airwaves.  

In Carrabelle, Florida, Larry was quick to spot the city’s police headquarters, a phone booth.  It was the world’s smallest police station.  What a story!  Even more of a scoop was the fact that the police chief had to rig the phone to stop people from making long distance phone calls and charging them to the police department.  Luckily, the city was small enough so if the phone line was busy, people could just shout for a patrol car.

“When I look back on those days roaming around Florida, I feel privileged to have met so many wonderful people so eloquent in their simple passions. People like Tom Gaskins and his Cypress Knee Museum, Kenny Long and his Airplane Desk, and Silas Fung’s ‘WorldsFairRama,’ one man’s tribute to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The list goes on and on. And then there were all those beautiful moments from Florida nature. I cherished every moment.”