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"DR. BEACH" RATES ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER AREA
BEACH AS BEST IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. - (May 25, 2004) - Always listen
to your doctor, and Dr. Beach's latest prescription rates
St. Petersburg/Clearwater - Florida's Beach as a sure cure
for the summertime blues. Florida International University's
Dr. Stephen Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach,"
released his latest ranking of nature beaches for Memorial
Day weekend and it had Fort De Soto Park, located near St.
Petersburg, as the #2 beach in the nation behind just one
beach in Hawaii. He also rated Caladesi Island State Park
as #4. Clearwater Beach was the #1 city beach in the Gulf
Region the last time the doctor rated city beaches.
"We've got the #1 and #3 continental beaches both
in one location," said Carole Ketterhagen, executive
director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention
& Visitors Bureau. "And our beaches are not just
beautiful, they are also very safe and healthy. They are
a perfect complement to our world-class museums, attractions
and nature-based activities."
Those three beaches plus Clearwater's Sand Key Park are
recipients of the National Healthy Beaches Campaign's Healthy
Beach Certification. Those four plus Honeymoon Island, St.
Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Fred Howard Park have been
named to the Clean Beaches Council's Blue Wave Award for
environmental beach management.
The St. Petersburg/Clearwater area is the only destination
in the United States with two beaches in the top 10, and
on the Healthy Beach and Blue Wave list.
Dr. Beach evaluates more than 650 public beaches throughout
the United States each year on a list of 50 criteria falling
under four main areas: physical factors such as sand softness,
and number and size of waves; biological factors such as
water color and condition; whether wildlife and pests are
present; and human use and impacts such as lifeguard protection,
far-reaching views and traffic.
Given by the non-profit Clean Beaches Council, the Blue
Wave Award is the symbol of responsible beach management.
Eight St. Petersburg/Clearwater area beaches received the
award for the third year in a row. The Blue Wave Campaign
is America's first national environmental beach certification
program. It promotes responsible management by beaches and
encourages greater public awareness of environmental, health
and safety conditions at beaches. The Blue Wave Campaign
judges two classes of applicant beaches - rural and resort
- against criteria in the following categories: water quality,
beach and intertidal conditions, safety, services, habitat
conservation, public information/education and erosion management.
Caladesi Island, Clearwater Beach, Fort De Soto Park and
Sand Key Park have each won a 2003 Healthy Beach Award,
presented by the National Healthy Beaches Campaign. Only
beaches that meet the National Healthy Beaches Campaign's
stringent environmental and service-based criteria, and
demonstrate dedicated environmental stewardship are eligible
to win this prestigious award.
Florida's Beach --the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, is
the leading destination on Florida's Gulf coast, drawing
more than 12 million visitors annually including 4.8 million
overnight visitors who stay an average of 7 days. The area
is best known for 35 miles of spectacular beaches and record-breaking
sunshine. A variety of attractions, world-class museums,
sporting activities and nature-related experiences are also
readily available.
For more information on Florida's Beach, call 1-877-FL-BEACH
(352-3224) in the U.S. and Canada, or 1-727-464-7200 internationally.
Or take a virtual visit to the area on the internet at www.FloridasBeach.com.
Source: St Petersburg/Clearwater Convention
& Visitor's Bureau
Full press releases, hi-resolution
photos and media links can be found at: www.floridasbeach.com/departments/media/pressreleasekit/ViewPhotos.aspx?cat=85
High resolution photos of
these beaches are available on the Internet, by e-mail or
on CD.
Please request them from wit@floridasbeach.com or go to
www.Floridasbeach.com/mediakit
You are receiving this press
release because we believe you would be interested in tourism
news from the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area on the Gulf
Coast of Florida. If you wish to receive information by
a different method or wish to be taken off the list, please
reply to wit@floridasbeach.com or 727-533-2183 and we will
update it immediately.
