He also knows that dismissing such beaches is like spitting into a gale. In a perfect world, there would be no need for beach restoration because in a perfect world nobody would build on the beach. But we don t live in a perfect world. We build on the beach, and they get washed away. Development isn t going to disappear.
Some city beaches are better than others.
Clearwater Beach sometimes makes his list. He faults the number of buildings, but he likes all that clean sand, and he enjoys standing on Big Pier 60 and watching the parade of humanity stroll by. He doesn t visit every beach each year. But he visits many, depending upon where his hurricane and erosion research carries him. Caladesi Island State Park, near Dunedin, is one of his favorite wilderness beaches.