Two Florida Beaches Rank in Top 10 for 2011

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Sunset on Siesta Public Beach on Siesta Key.

Photo Credit: Patty Nazzaro

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Have your children build a sandcastle on Siesta Beach.

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Siesta Beach in Sarasota takes the No. 1 spot for 2011

Coastal expert Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach,” has named Siesta Beach in Sarasota as No. 1 and Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne as No. 10 for 2011.

"With some of the finest, whitest sand in the world, this beach attracts sand collectors from all over," Leatherman said of Siesta Beach. "Siesta Beach has clear, warm waters that serve for ideal swimming."

Leatherman, who is the director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research, has made a Memorial Day Weekend tradition of unveiling his list of America’s finest strands of sand and surf.

Caladesi Island State Park took the No. 1 spot in 2008. St. Petersburg/Clearwater area’s Ft. De Soto Park was also awarded Leatherman’s top honor in 2005. Others include St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in Port St. Joe in 2002, St. Andrews State Recreation Area in Panama City in 1995, Grayton Beach State Recreation Area, between Panama City and Destin, in 1994 and Bahia Honda State Recreation Area in the Florida Keys in 1992.

Florida’s beaches are among the best in the world. As a top recreational destination for Americans, Florida beaches offer visitors a variety of opportunities for leisure and entertainment.

For more information on Leatherman's rankings, check out www.VISITFLORIDA.com/bestbeach.

A professor of coastal research at Miami’s Florida International University, Dr. Leatherman is one of the world’s leading authorities on coastal sciences, having authored or edited more than 16 books and written hundreds of journal articles on the subject. Since 1991, he has released his list of America's Best Beaches each year on Memorial Day weekend, marking the beginning of beach season.