Mote enhances Beach Conditions Report

Mote Marine Laboratory now offers an enhanced Beach Conditions Report in Sarasota and Manatee counties featuring photos from 19 new Droid smartphones provided by Verizon.

The Droids will allow Mote’s beach observers to include pictures of current beach conditions with every report.

The enhancements went live in time for Labor Day weekend, also the fourth anniversary of Mote’s Beach Conditions Report.

The enhanced reports not currently live from Sarasota and Manatee counties will continue to phase in the coming weeks.

“When we created the report, the public was concerned primarily about red tide and wanted to know whether the beach they were planning to visit was being affected,” said Beach Conditions Report creator Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick in a prepared statement. “Today, thousands of people from all over the world are using the report to check out what’s happening at their favorite beaches. Many tourists are using it to monitor the areas where they are planning to vacation, especially in light of the oil spill. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the Droids are helping us show the beach conditions.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].