Gulf Boulevard on Madeira Beach was shut down Sunday morning. It was taken over by dozens of local residents, all showing off their dance moves.

  • Flash mob popped up in Madeira Beach Sunday
  • The performance brought together dozens of residents
  • Dancers hoped to showcase Madeira's fun vibe

As part of an effort to spread smiles and showcase the region, members of different communities came together for a flash mob performance.

"It's wonderful, it's gorgeous, it's paradise," Clearwater resident Pepper Conrad said.

Resident Mandy Trapka was the brain behind the flash mob performance that brought people of all ages together to show off the area they love.

"Back in 2011, St. Petersburg was voted by Men's Health magazine as the saddest city in America so we're challenging that because we live in paradise and this is something to be excited about," Trapka said.

"There's so many bad things happening right now I just thought it'd be something nice for a change," said Jeanene Capone, also of Clearwater.

The flash mob stopped traffic as tourists took pictures of the unique effort to put their beach town in the spotlight. They hope the performance will showcase all of the beauty and local businesses Madeira Beach has to offer.

"There's a lot of the mom-and-pop shops here, a lot of small town feel that still exists in St. Pete and Madeira Beach and we all come together and definitely have a sense of community," Madeira Beach resident Sarah Tapia said.

The group is hoping to take their performance national and plan on sending video of the performance to the Ellen Degeneres show.