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aerial photo of Caladesi Island for Tropical Breeze courtesy of  Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater

Coastal expert Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach,” has named Caladesi Island State Park America’s Top Beach for 2008. This year’s designation marks Caladesi’s sixth appearance since 2002 on America’s Best Beaches List.

Dr. Beach’s “America’s Best Beaches List” is an annual announcement made by Dr. Leatherman, director of Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami. Leatherman’s yearly survey highlights the top destinations from his tour of 650 major public recreational beaches, evaluating beaches based on 50 different factors, including water color and temperature, sand color and softness, public access and area wildlife and vegetation.

Leatherman first published the respected and widely quoted “Best Beaches” survey in 1991 when he was with the University of Maryland.

Labeling it his “favorite getaway beach,” Leatherman lauded the pristine barrier island’s “powder white” sand and “warm, crystal-clear” water in bestowing it the number one spot, nudging it into first place from the #2 ranking it received in both 2006 and 2007.

Situated in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Dunedin, the 3-mile long island, which is dotted with palm trees and protected by mangrove stands on its bay side, is primarily accessible by boat or the Caladesi Connection ferry. It also is possible to walk onto Caladesi Island from the north end of Clearwater Beach, where storms have filled in the pass that once separated the barrier islands.

There are no paved roads or vehicles on Caladesi, but amenities like beach cabana rentals, an on-site café and a marina with full electric and water hookups make this “well-kept secret” a “great place to decompress,” according to Leatherman.

Beach lovers can enjoy swimming, sunbathing and beachcombing, while saltwater anglers can fish from their boats or throw a line out into the surf. Nature enthusiasts can glimpse wildlife while hiking the three-mile nature trail through the island’s interior or paddling a three mile kayak trail through the mangroves and bay. Picnic tables and shelters are located near the beach.

Florida state park beaches have consistently scored high in Leatherman’s surveys, with four other parks previously ranked as number one: Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys, selected as America’s best beach in 1992; Grayton Beach State Park in Northwest Florida, ranked number one in 1994; St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, chosen number one in 1995; and St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe, topped the list in 2002.

In 2005, Ft. De Soto Park’s North Beach was also awarded Leatherman’s top honor which distinguishes the St.Pete/Clearwater area as the only Florida destination ever to have two beaches make it to the top of his list.

Other Florida beaches honored this year include third-ranked Siesta Key, near Sarasota, and ninth-ranked Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, near Miami. Beaches in Hawaii, California, North Carolina and Long Island, New York round out the top ten.