‘Dr. Beach’ to speak on Siesta Key

Stephen P. Leatherman, a Florida International University professor known as “Dr. Beach,” will speak to the Siesta Key Association Thursday, roughly five years after naming Siesta the No. 1 beach in the U.S.

Leatherman, who also named the local barrier island beach No. 2 on his 2016 list, will discuss the city of Sarasota and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plans to dredge Big Pass to renourish Lido Beach. Siesta residents have protested the project with concerns about how dredging the northern inlet could affect their shoreline.