ANNA MARIA ISLAND- If you have friends thinking about flying south in the next couple of month and looking for a place to stay on the beach, they may just be out of luck if they haven't booked yet.
It's just another day on the beach for vacationers like the Wollner's and Marinstein's.
The families are visiting here from New York.
"It's been wonderful. The weather is spectacular. It's a lot better than the 20 degrees in New York, " says David Wollner.
And it's not just these families booking vacations here on Anna Maria Island. Realtors say the season just started and they are already seeing record numbers.
"This is the first time in years that we've sold out for season before the end of the year," says Michael Brinson, owner of AMI Accommodations.
Brinson says finding a place anywhere on the island for the month of March and April is close to impossible.
"We're going into the season with a back log of calls. This is a good thing. There is no sign of a bad economy here. We are calling around trying to help people," says Brinson.
Over at the Nautilus condominiums, Fritz Dahlquist is seeing the same thing.
"My march is filled already. We should have two March's," says Dahlquist.
He says if you want a room anywhere on the island, you better book a year in advance.
"Last year we were in the post oil phenomenon and we recovered from that. There's no sign of the economy here," says Dahlquist.
And as long as they book ahead, football on the beach for Christmas may just become a family tradition for the Wollner's and Marinstein's.
"You can't beat 70 degree weather," says Ed Marinstein.
It's not just Anna Maria Island booking up, Siesta Key, Venice beach, places all along the Suncoast are close to full capacity for the 2012 season.
