Ocean Reef Park Beach
Palm Beach County. Guarded, on Singer Island, and deliberately quiet - the calm end of the island rather than the developed one.
Open the guide →Ask 1stFlorida
Which Florida beaches have wheelchair access and beach mats?
Two things make a beach reachable: a rolled matting path across the soft sand, and a loan wheelchair with balloon tires that floats on it.
A growing number of Florida beaches have both, usually free and usually booked by telephone the day before. Ocean Reef Park in Palm Beach County puts mats out on request alongside its chair. Coquina Beach in Manatee County, Fort De Soto and Clearwater Beach in Pinellas, Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Pensacola Beach in Escambia, Navarre Beach in Santa Rosa and St Andrews State Park in Bay County all run the same arrangement. Smyrna Dunes Park in Volusia County is boardwalk from end to end. Bill Baggs in Miami-Dade and Lake Worth Beach in Palm Beach County both have chairs. Call ahead - there are only a few chairs at each site.
The places named in this answer.
Coquina Beach
Manatee County. 2650 Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach, the longest beach on the island, with the remains of old piers still standing out in the water. One of the three beaches in the county with lifeguards and medical rescue: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Labor Day through Memorial Day and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through the summer.
Open the guide →Fort De Soto Park Beach
Pinellas County. 1,136 acres across five connected islands at the mouth of Tampa Bay, the largest park Pinellas County runs and one that takes more than 2.7 million visits a year. North Beach and East Beach give almost three miles of white sand with swim centers and food concessions.
Open the guide →Clearwater Beach
Pinellas County. The city's main beach, guarded seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with towers staffed according to season and weather. Pier 60 runs out from the middle of it.
Open the guide →Siesta Beach
Sarasota County. 948 Beach Road on Siesta Key, and the sand is why people come: TripAdvisor named it the number one beach in the United States. Lifeguards. Restrooms, picnic shelters, and a historic pavilion with raised seating looking over the water.
Open the guide →Pensacola Beach
Escambia County. The Santa Rosa Island Authority runs this shore and puts lifeguards on four parts of it: Casino Beach, Park East, the Fort Pickens Gate park and Quietwater Beach. Full-time cover runs June through August, with weekends from the middle of April through September, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Open the guide →Navarre Beach
Santa Rosa County. About four miles of Santa Rosa Island, with swimming and surfing, and snorkeling and diving on artificial reefs set close to shore. The Navarre Beach Pier runs 1,545 feet out over the Gulf and is used by experienced anglers and beginners.
Open the guide →St. Andrews State Park Beach
Bay County. More than a mile and a half of white sand in several separate swimming areas, with rock jetties that draw divers and snorkelers and hold gun mounts left from the Second World War.
Open the guide →Smyrna Dunes Park Beach
Volusia County. At the north tip of the New Smyrna peninsula, on the south shore of Ponce de Leon Inlet, with water on three sides: the Atlantic, the inlet and the Indian River.
Open the guide →Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Beach
Miami-Dade County. At 1200 South Crandon Boulevard at the end of Key Biscayne, open 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year, for $8 a vehicle. The 1825 lighthouse stands at the point, and the tower and the keeper's cottage are open at tour times with no extra charge and no booking.
Open the guide →Lake Worth Beach
Palm Beach County. Twelve hundred feet of municipal beach with lifeguards, cabana, chair and boogie-board rentals, a playground and a restaurant. The William O. Lockhart Municipal Pier runs out from it, and no fishing license is needed to fish from the pier.
Open the guide →More questions like this.
Which Florida beaches are open at night?
Most Florida beaches close at sunset, and every state park does, so a late evening on the sand needs a city beach rather than a park.
Where are the beaches for sunbathing in Florida?
For lying in the sun you want wide dry sand above the tide line, a chair and umbrella to rent, and somewhere to buy a drink without moving the car.
What do the beach warning flags mean in Florida?
Florida's guarded beaches fly a colored flag to say what the water is doing that day.
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