Dr. Stephen Leatherman, known to all as “Dr. Beach,” is currently visiting Charlotte County beaches, grading them as part of his yearly beach contest to determine the 10 best beaches in the U.S. He will be visiting beaches on Knight Island (Palm Island Resort), Don Pedro Island and Little Gasparilla Island.
Dr. Leatherman explains to the media how he evaluates beaches.
Dr. Beach’s visit turned out to be quite a media event, which he explains is very unusual. Normally when he evaluates a beach he is incognito. Cities never know when or where he might show up. But he kindly took the time to explain his process and criteria for picking the nation’s top beaches. More later, but here are some photos I took, today.
Stump Pass beach is not actually a "public" beach, but was a good place to start beach evaluations this morning and get familiar with the characteristics of the area's beaches.
Dr. Beach measures the width of Stump Pass beach while Evan Williams of the Florida Weekly newspaper snaps a photo.
Dr. Beach explains his method of determining sand composition and quality.
Dr. Stephen Leatherman with Florida State Park rangers at Don Pedro Island State Park.
Dr. Beach evaluates Stump Pass beach based on his 50 criteria important to a healthy and happy beach.
Stay tuned for more…
