Shelling and birding on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel top the ‘Best of Florida Awards’
09/2005

LEE COUNTY, FL – The accolades for shell collecting and bird watching on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel keep on coming – this time from readers of Florida Monthly magazine who cast more than 600,000 votes in the publication’s ‘2005 Best of Florida Awards’.

            Readers voted in more than 100 categories for the magazine’s 10th annual poll, announced in the September 2005 issue and also featured on Florida Monthly’s Web site www.floridamagazine.com . 

The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel received the ‘Best of Florida’ first place honors in the following divisions: Best Shelling Location - Sanibel Island and Best Place to Watch Birds - J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel Island).  This marks the second consecutive year the destination has been recognized as tops in both categories.

          “For The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel to be selected again in the ‘Best of Florida Awards’ is an honor,” said D.T. Minich, C.D.M.E., executive director of the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau. “The VCB is very proud of our natural assets and attractions for being recognized by the people who frequent the destination year after year.”

CONTACTS: Nancy Hamilton, Lee Rose, Jessica Doyle (239) 338-3500