BEST BEACHES IN FLORIDA

Everybody has an opinion about which are the best beaches in Florida, and that opinion is subjective. 

It all depends on what you like when you go to the beach.

A surfer has different needs than a kite flyer.

Florida family vacations may include a beach, and each family member may have a different idea of the kind of beach they like.

A swimmer has different desires than a surf fisherman.

A surfer dude has different desires than a shell gatherer.

A man who likes to admire bikini clad beauties has different desires than a man with a metal detector looking for treasure or jewelry.

Here are the things I like about my list of the best beaches in Florida.

• The beaches are usually quiet and often uncrowded. Florida beach vacations near these places can be very relaxing.
• They have nice clean sand that is comfortable to walk on barefoot or with flip flops or crocs.
• They have a dune crossover, some picnic shelters, a shower to wash the sand off your feet when you're ready to leave, restrooms, and picnic facilities.
• They may or not be good for surfing or surf fishing.
• Safety is important at the beaches I like, but there are no guarantees about that matter on any beach.
• Lots of shells make a beach uncomfortable to walk on, so I haven't listed any well known shell beaches. You can find these by searching on the internet for "shelling beaches in Florida". Sanibel will no doubt come up high in the search engines. Almost all beaches have some shells, however. Of the best beaches in Florida on this list, Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples probably has the most shells.
• I wear clothes or a swimming suit when I go to the beach, so I haven't focused on nude beaches, also known as "clothing optional". A couple of well known nude beaches are Playalinda just north of Kennedy Space Center and Haulover Beach north of Haulover Inlet near Bal Harbour. Haulover is legally clothing optional, while Playalinda is not but it seems to be tolerated.

There are many more factors that are important to some people. Dr. Beach, the famous expert, has 50 criterion that he uses to evaluate his lists of the best beaches.  

Many of the things that I like in a beach require regular maintenance. That's why my list contains a lot of public beaches that are kept in good shape by the area's parks and recreation department or by the Florida State Park system.

My list has at least one city, county or state park in each of the 8 regions of the state. There is usually an admission fee of around $4.00/car to get into the State Parks to enjoy their great beaches.

My list of the best beaches in Florida is organized by the geographical regions of the state. Just click on the links below to see the beaches.

Best Beaches In Florida

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