We have a lot of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) that are permanent residents in the area.  One of the better spots to observe them is Ponce De Leon Park in Punta Gorda but, there are plenty of others around Charlotte Harbor.  They like to perch on the pilings of the channel markers.  Seeing a big bird like this land on the top of an 8 inch diameter piling puts  a helicopter to shame.  Here are a couple of shots.

My favorite though is this sequence showing a Pelican chasing a Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) off of its chosen perch.  You will need to click on the images to enlarge them.

Once on the post, they either stand on the post if still hunting or hunker down for a nap.  This one was wondering why I was disturbing it.

You can also see the rescued pelicans and other birds at the Peace River Wildlife Center in the park.