Celebrating 90 Years
The Safety Harbor Resort and Spa is now celebrating its ninetieth year of being
recognized as one of the healthiest places to go in the country. The springs continue to
pump out their healing waters to those who visit this landmark center of wellness.
For centuries, the Tocobaga Indians roamed the
shores of Tampa Bay and, more specifically, took
pleasure in the area we know as Safety Harbor –
home of the healing mineral waters and natural
springs. The Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto,
while in search of the Fountain of Youth, landed in this
Tocobaga territory in 1539 and named the Springs Espiritu
Santo (Springs of the Holy Spirit). Ever since De Soto’s
52 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE
| MAY/JUNE 2016
discovery, the healing waters of Espiritu Santo in Safety
Harbor on the shores of Florida’s West Coast have
attracted thousands of people to this small city to drink
the water in order to rid themselves of their ailments.
The area was known as the Health-Giving City and later
became Safe Harbor and finally, as it is known today,
Safety Harbor. The springs were eventually purchased
by the Espiritu Santo Springs Corporation.