Which Florida beaches have lifeguards?
Guarded beaches are the exception rather than the rule in Florida, and rip currents drown more people here than any other natural hazard.
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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.
Green is low hazard: calm conditions, but still take care. Yellow is medium hazard: moderate surf or currents. A single red flag is high hazard: high surf or strong currents. Two red flags mean the water is closed to the public. Purple means dangerous marine life has been spotted, and it can fly alongside any of the others. No flag at all does not mean the water is safe. Rip currents are the danger behind most red flags. If one pulls you out, do not swim straight back against it: relax and float, swim out of it along the shoreline, then angle back toward the beach, and if you cannot get in, wave and yell for help. Swim near a lifeguard whenever you can.
Where to go from here.
Daytona Beach
Volusia County. Vehicles are allowed on the sand at marked ramps. From May 1 to October 31 they may be on the beach between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. or sundown, whichever is earlier; from November 1 to April 30 it is sunrise to sunset, tides permitting.
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 →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 →Panama City Beach
Bay County. Bay County's main shore, and the rules here are worth knowing before you arrive. A red flag means rip currents are strong enough to be dangerous; double red means the Gulf is closed to swimming altogether, and that one is enforced.
Open the guide →Crandon Park Beach
Miami-Dade County. Two miles of sand on Key Biscayne with a sandbar offshore that keeps the water calm, parking for nearly 3,000 cars, and beach wheelchairs for anybody who needs one. Parking is $7 Monday to Thursday and $10 Friday to Sunday.
Open the guide →Where this comes from.
- Volusia County, Beach warning flags ↗ Read September 23, 2026
- National Weather Service, Rip currents ↗ Read September 23, 2026
More questions like this.
How do I check for red tide at Florida beaches?
Red tide is a bloom of a microscopic alga, Karenia brevis, and it turns up in the Gulf almost every year, usually in late summer or early fall.
Where can you ride horses on the beach in Florida?
Only a few stretches of the Florida coast allow horses, and at most of them you ride with a guide.
Which Florida beaches have the whitest sand?
The white sand is on the northwest Gulf coast, in Walton, Okaloosa, Bay, Santa Rosa, Escambia and Gulf counties.
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