Local Folks: Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson is a third-generation Jacksonville native who’s holding onto a dream and working hard to fulfill it.
“My goal is to eventually live in Five Points,” she said.
Johnson is a full-time occupational therapy assistant at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, formerly Orange Park Medical Center. She began working there last year after having earned her occupational therapy license from Florida State College at Jacksonville. She now is studying for her doctorate in the field. Johnson had been inspired to enter the profession while watching occupational therapists treat her teenage brother after a surgery to remove a brain tumor.
While pursuing her medical career, Johnson works a second job. For the past five years, she has been waitressing part-time at Hooters in San Jose. But more recently, that work has gone way beyond serving food to restaurant customers.
“I’ve been able to expand with the company in the last three years,” she said. She takes part in the brand’s national marketing campaigns and helps with local fundraising. She’s so dedicated, in fact, that she was voted Hooters Girl of the Year in 2022.
Johnson’s list is long of the causes to which she has dedicated time. The Buddy Walk to benefit the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville is one. There’s also Think Pink that raises money for breast cancer awareness. And there are golf outings, like pro John Daly’s Hair of the Dawg Golf Classic at San Jose Country Club where participants raised money for the Heart of a Lion Foundation, whose mission is to provide mental, physical and wellness support to children, veterans and first responders.
Golf outings come naturally to Johnson, as her favorite hobbies are outdoor events, and golf is her husband, Bailey Moore’s, favorite sport. Blue Sky, The Amelia River Club, and Fernandina Beach Golf Club are courses they frequent. The couple is into football and baseball as well, relishing the friendly rivalry of Gator-Bulldog games as much as they delight in rooting together for the minor league’s Jumbo Shrimp team.
Johnson and Moore like boating, too. They enjoy spending time on the waters of St. Augustine.
“He likes to fish, and I like to hang out with the family,” Johnson said. Like Johnson, Moore has extended family in Jacksonville, mainly from his mother’s side; his father’s kin visit from Georgia. Often, Chubbs joins the boating expeditions with all of them. He’s Johnson’s Frenchie, named after Nick Chubb, who played for the University of Georgia prior to entering the NFL as a running back for the Cleveland Browns.
Johnson first met her husband when they were students at West Nassau High School just outside of Jacksonville. After their 2016 graduation, she stayed close to home, while Moore moved north to Georgia, closer to his father’s side of the family. The couple reunited at the start of the pandemic when he returned to Jacksonville. They spent a lot of time together doing outdoor activities and then married this spring, on March 9, though autumn is their favorite season.
Dining and shopping in Five Points are on Johnson and Moore’s list of favorite things to do around town. Almost monthly, they host a birthday event at Hoptinger Bier Garden and Sausage House. The gatherings are usually for friends, but sometimes they’re for family members. An overnight stay at the beach often follows.
As to their Five Points goal, “We really like the atmosphere, how nice the area is, and the people,” Johnson said. She and Moore plan to someday buy a home and raise a family there when they’re ready to settle down and have a baby. In the meantime, they’ll continue working, serving and dreaming.
By Mary Wanser
Resident Community News
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