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Obamas to vacation on Florida's Gulf Coast in Aug.

4:27 PM on 07/22/2010

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President Barack Obama arrives with first lady Michelle Obama, left, and their children Malia and Sasha Obama, right, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington after a weekend vacation on Mount Desert Island in Maine, Sunday, July 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama and his family are vacationing next month on the Gulf Coast, as they have urged other Americans to do to help the area's battered economy.

The White House said the Obamas will visit the Florida coast on Aug. 14 and spend the weekend.

Obama has made four trips to the Gulf region, including one overnight stay, since an underwater well exploded and began spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico in April. First lady Michelle Obama is making her second visit to the area on Friday.

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Both Obama and Mrs. Obama have made a point of encouraging people to visit Gulf Coast beaches that are open and free of oil damage to help the local economy.

The White House did not say exactly where the Obamas would spend their time while in Florida.