Why would I drive 45 minutes at 6:30 in the morning to stand for hours in the hot sun at the beach???
It was June 21st, the First Day of Summer.
It was National Seashell Day.
So???
The Lee County Vistitor and Convention Bureau, does such a tremendous job of promoting our county and drawing visitors from all over the world.
To help give Lee County a bigger image in the eyes of the world, they decided that since we are the Seashell Capital of the World, we should attempt the Guinness World Record for the largest human image of a seashell.
I believe that when others do things that advance the Real Estate business, I should volunteer my time to help with their projects.
The current record holder of largest human image of a seashell was held by Shell Oil Co. On October 2017 in Nicosia, Cypress they set the record with 855 people.
On June 21 the Lee Transit began to bus participants to the Outrigger Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach.
Guinness has sent an official adjudicator to monitor and confirm the attempt.
Hundreds of people began to gather at the beach.
A local Engineering Company arrived early in the morning to stake out the pattern for the formation of the shell. TV stations had cameras on site to record this event.
The excitement was rising as the time passed. Finally, after the Star Spangled Banner was sung, we began to move to our assigned spots on the beach.
It was hot and some stood in place for over an hour waiting for the formation to be completed.
Overhead, they had sent up a drone to record the formation. The adjudicator carefully counted each participant and surveyed the formation.
A specific shell had been selected as our model. It was THE Junonia shell. A beautiful shell that is rarely found on a beach.
The formation had to be held for 5 minutes for the attempt to count.
Finally, the Guinness adjudicator announced that we had indeed broken the World Record with 1093 participants.
Yes, it was a great experience, but why did I participate?
Tourism is a major force in Florida, and Southwest Florida is a big part of the attraction.
Last year, $3.16 billion was generated by the Tourism industry in Lee County.
Lee County has some of the greatest beaches in the country:
Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs, Estero, Pine Island, Boca Grande & Outer Islands, Lover Key State Park Beach.
The number one country that we attract visitors from is Germany, then Canada. We attracted 5 million visitors last year.
Many of these visitors enjoy the amenities we offer and fall in love with the area. They then buy property. Some for investment and some for vacation purposes.
I love to give back to the community and I work hard to make it a better place. The Guinness World Record will make a big impact on the marketing that is done to tell the world that Lee County Florida is really a great place to visit and to live.
If you want a place in the sun where you can walk the beach and find some of the best seashells in the world, come to Lee County. And when you come, be sure to contact me for more information about the area.
You can also go to Going Beyond the Beach a great video of the area.
Want to see homes for sale in Lee County and surrounding area, shop here Search Southwest Florida Homes Here
Tell everyone that you can recommend a Guinness World Record Holder in Southwest Florida who CARES and knows what is going on in this great market.
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