St. George Island Visitor Center : Press Kit

MEDIA CONTACTS

For information about St. George Island, contact:

the St. George Visitor Center at 850-927-7744 or 888-927-7744 (toll free)

The St. George Island Visitor Center is pleased to offer free usage of the any of the photos and articles shown on this site. We ask only that photo credit be "Photo Courtesy St. George Island Visitor Center".

FEATURE ARTICLES & NEWS RELEASES

The feature articles in this "Press Kit" were prepared by a professional editor / writer who has been a resident of the area for more than two decades. No one knows the area better. You are welcome to reprint the articles exactly as written or take excerpts from them. No attribution is required. Our objective is to provide you with some fun story ideas and an overview of our unique getaway.

Overview of St. George Island & Franklin County - "Mother Nature was extremely kind to St. George Island and Franklin County Florida."

What is St. George Island - "St. George Is a barrier island that is approximately 28 miles long and two miles wide at its widest point. It used to be longer but in the mid-fifties it was decided that the mainland fishing fleet needed a “shortcut” from Apalachicola Bay to the Gulf of Mexico." ...see more

Butterflies and Birds - "Birds and butterflies can be seen all across the island. More than 300 species of native and migratory birds have been documented. " ...see more

SGI Charity Chili Cookoff - Neighbors Helping Neighbors - "The always first Saturday in March Annual Charity Chili Cookoff signals the start of spring on the Island and the Forgotten Coast. Thousands converge from throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States to participate..." ...see more

Fantastic Fishing - "Accomplished fishermen will tell you that the claim that "St. George Island Fishing is Fantastic" is actually an understatement. We simply couldn’t find the appropriate word to describe one of the greatest "fishing holes" in the United States." see more...

St. George Island can be Addictive - “Forgotten Coastline”, a regional tourism publication, has been conducting visitor/reader surveys for the past two decades. Visitors are asked to candidly reveal what they do and don’t like about the Forgotten Coast and areas like St. George Island. No two completed surveys have ever been identical but most all are similar and lead to several obvious conclusions. One is that St. George Island can be “addictive.” ...see more

Local Businessmen Help to Create the "Forgotten Coast" - "It was 1992 and most St. George Island and mainland business folks were struggling to make ends meet. The understaffed and financially strapped Apalachicola Bay Area Chamber (which included St. George) was doing the best it could to draw visitors to the area." ...see more

Bed Tax is Good for Visitors - "Like hundreds of other visitor destinations across the country, St. George Island and Franklin County have a “bed tax”. It is a couple pennies on the dollar that are added to the tab when you stay in short-term accommodations. ..Where do these dollars go?" ...see more

Oyster Harvesting: No Life for Wimps - "No mechanical device can be used during the harvesting of oysters. The boat is anchored over an oyster bed and the harvester must now use a sturdy (as in heavy), long-handled (usually 12 foot) device (best described as a “rake”) to separate the ultimate target from..." ...see more

Deepwater Horizon Oil Does Not Reach St. George Island - "No one knew for certain whether the oil would spread to St. George Island’s pristine beaches, marshes and nearby Apalachicola Bay – where the world’s finest oysters grow from spats to unsurpassed taste treats." ...see more

St. George Island State Park Opens in 1980 - "St. George Island ( Dr. Julian G. Bruce) State Park features some nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay. The State Park occupies 1,962 acres at the eastern end..." ...see more

Tranquility & Solitude at St. George Island State Park - "There are miles of miles of undeveloped beach with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and Apalachicola Bay on the other - the perfect setting for this 2,023-acre park. " ...see more

"Turn Out the Lights" has Become an SGI Custom - "What the heck kind of vacation destination is this? I rent a luxurious Gulf front home on a remote island, complete with a magnificent, virtually private beach, and the first thing they ask me to do is turn off my outside lights." ...see more

Bryant Patton Bridge Wins Exemplary Project Award - “The other project to be awarded the Exemplary Project Award goes to the
Bryant Patton Bridge, also known as the St. George Island Bridge. At the time this project was bid, the Bryant Patton Bridge was one of first and largest design–build projects undertaken." ...see more

What Others Say .. we are always interested in what others have to say about us and have included a few of the many newspaper, magazine and internet articles written about St. George. Care to add yours? Just e-mail it to us at the above address.

Where Florida Stayed Wild - William Shemmel: "St. George Island has a “split” personality. Hundreds of beach houses, condos (limited by law to 35 feet above the first inhabitable level), gated luxury subdivisions, convenience stores, restaurants and other visitor amenities line along skeins of glistening white beaches at the western end. But development skids to a halt at the state park’s gates.” ...see more

Forgotten Florida - Laura Reiley:“It was late, the wine had been mostly dispatched and the candles had begun to weep
crazily across the patio table. It was end-of-the-party conversation, desultory and rambling, about our favorite places. Favorite places in Florida, my husband mused. That’s easy, St. George Island. Everyone but me looked at him blankly.” ...see more

A Cherished Tower - Brendan Farrington: "Bruce Robie was in the Florida Panhandle on business four years ago when he made a side trip to visit the Cape St. George Light, knowing he might not get a chance to see it again." ...see more

Washer Craze "Agitates" St. George Islanders - "...Washer toss is the new craze sweeping the island like a tropical storm." ...see more