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Pensacola Beach prepares Spring Break
'We are recovering,' Lee says of Pensacola Beach
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com
 | | Lifeguard stands sit in Casino Beach parking lot, ready to be placed on the beaches in advance of Spring Break. |
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The spring breakers are coming, and Pensacola Beach is getting ready.
"We've already had several calls," said Sandy Johnston, executive driector of the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce. "Some are already here. They're trickling in, and we're expecting mid March to be busy."
Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties and Pensacola Junior College all take the week of March 13-17 for Spring Break and University of West Florida takes the following week.
Most of the tourists on Pensacola Beach are families, and six hotels are open as the time share at Soundside Holiday Beach Resort.
Buck Lee, Santa Rosa Island Authority General Manager said the first week of March is the kickoff to tourist season, with lifeguards hitting the beach in their lifeguard stands. More lifeguard coverage is coming in April, Lee said.
"We are recovering," Lee said of the progress being made on Pensacola Beach.
In October, November and December, we were meeting and exceeding our expectations" which is a good indication of a successful 2006 season.
 | | New construction is visible all over the Island. |
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Lee said the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 may positively impact Pensacola Beach's tourism.
"After all the media c o v e r a g e , people know w h e r e Pe n s a c o l a Beach is. They saw the b e a u t i f u l white sand and the Gulf of Mexico," Lee said.
The hotels on Pensacola Beach are the only hotels in the Pensacola area, since no hotels are reopen on Perdido Key or Navarre Beach.
Lee said the authority continues to push an overall beach clean up to improve the aesthetic condition of the island.
The beach renourishment project is finished and a sifter is combing the sand to remove any debris.
The massive dunes created by the sand being cleared from roadways was sifted and redistributed along the beach, Lee said.
Parts of Ariola, Maldonado and Panferio are being resurfaced. The Quietwater Pier is due to be finished June 1.
Listed among the open restaurants are Crabs, Flounders, Peg Leg Pete's, Sidelines, H20, Bamboo Willies, Surf Burger, Hemingway's, Hooters, The Market, Subway and Tuckers.
 | | Condos such as Emerald Isle, above, have many short term rentals available on the Gulf front. |
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 | | Many of the hotels on Pensacola Beach are ready to accept R.T.'s or "Real Tourists" after hosting construction crews in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis. |
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 | | Restaurants and nightclubs are ready for an influx of tourists. |
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