With all due respect to Mickey Mouse, beaches remain our state’s most popular tourist destination. Florida’s 825 miles of sandy beaches are a huge economic driver, attracting nearly 19 million tourists a year, according to the state, and generating an estimated $23.3 billion in annual tax revenue, according to one study. And March — the peak of Spring Break — is prime beach season.
For nearly 35 years, a professor known as “Dr. Beach” has been ranking America’s 650 public beaches based on 50 criteria such as sand softness, wind speeds, underwater slope, rip currents, water color, safety record, pollution and noise.
Stephen Leatherman is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. In his most recent rankings of the top 10 beaches in America, two were in Florida: Caladesi Island State Park near Clearwater (pictured above) ranked fourth, while Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park near Naples ranked eighth.
Previous national winners get “retired” from the beach doctor’s top 10 list. In Florida, first-place beaches from recent years’ rankings include Siesta Beach in Sarasota as well as St. George Island and Grayton Beach state parks, both in the Panhandle.
Dr. Beach says good beaches need three qualities: clean water, clean sand and safety, and these beaches excel.