Sunshine Matters

Even before the sun rose over the white sand and bright blue beach umbrellas on a picture-perfect day, Dr. Stephen Leatherman was in place, mic on and list in hand.  Leatherman, better known as Dr. Beach, was announcing his annual “Top 10 Best Beaches in America” to kick off the summer vacation season.

Working in conjunction with VISIT FLORIDA, Dr. Beach unveiled the 2014 list during a satellite media tour near Pensacola.  At the same time, he encouraged viewers to find their perfect Florida beach using VISIT FLORIDA’s new high-tech Florida Beach Finder tool.  From 5:15 in the morning through midday television shows, Dr. Beach shared why Florida’s Barefoot Beach near Naples, St. George Island in the Panhandle, Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, and Delnor-Wiggins State Park near Naples made the Top 10 list.

Yes, four out of the 10 best beaches in America this year are in Florida.  As he shared his long list of criteria with 50 different points, Dr. Beach also explained how first-time visitors can find the beach that matches their personality on VISITFLORIDA.com.

The satellite media tour was hosted by Eden Condominiums on Perdido Key just west of Pensacola.  The Alabama-Florida line was the starting point for the VISIT FLORIDA Google Street View beach trekkers in July 2013, so it was an appropriate place to unveil the beach finder tool.  The trekkers walked for four months and captured thousands of photos of the Florida shoreline.  As Dr. Beach described his Top 10 beaches, he invited the broadcast audiences to check out the beaches first-hand on VISIT FLORIDA’s website.  Using 360 degree images, viewers can be armchair visitors to the Sunshine State from anywhere in the world.

Twenty-six broadcast network affiliates across the country heard first-hand about Florida’s beaches, including national networks like the Weather Channel and the Daily Buzz, as well as major broadcast markets including Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas.  Radio stations in such central U.S. cities as Columbus, Ohio and Terre Haute, Indiana were also offered the opportunity to pepper Dr. Beach with questions about the best beaches for summer vacationing.  Between the national and local broadcast and radio stations, the satellite media tour boasted an audience of more than 7.2 million.

VISIT FLORIDA thanks our partners at Visit Pensacola and Eden Condominiums, which hosted Dr. Beach and the crew during the satellite media tour, and the Flora-Bama Restaurant & Lounge, which generously provided lunch on the day of the shoot.