Caladesi named best beach

For years an also-ran, Caladesi Island State Park in northern Pinellas County won the distinction as America's top beach for 2008 by coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, otherwise known as Dr. Beach. Leatherman called the 3-mile-long island off the coast of Dunedin his "favorite getaway beach" during an announcement live on MSNBC from the local beach this morning. He called the sand "white as it can be'' and lauded the crystal clear water. Caladesi has been in the top six of Leatherman's America's Best Beaches List since 1997 and was No. 2 for the last two years. Pinellas' Fort De Soto Park's North Beach won top honors in 2005. The park also was named as the best U.S. beach by the travel Web site TripAdvisor.com this year. Having two top-ranked beaches is "a definite distinction no community in North America can claim," said D.T. Minich, Pinellas tourism director. "To have have two number one beaches in one community is unprecedented."

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