Dr. Beach's list of the
10 Best Beaches in the U.S. is coming out May 22 but some Florida beaches won't be on it. Not because they're not worthy, but because they were.
Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, a.k.a. Dr. Beach , a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University who turned hitting the beach into a vocation, is set to release his 35th annual rankings of the best of all of America’s 650 public beaches. When a beach takes the No. 1 spot in the list it is retired from future contention, although he cleared the slate in 2016 to let everyone have a shot again. So, some of the best seaside attractions in the Sunshine State — in the nation —won't be showing up there again for a while. Here are the Florida beaches that have won No. 1 in the past few years.
2023: St. George Island beach at Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park
Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park is nestled at the far east end of the 22-mile long barrier island along the Panhandle in Franklin County, about a two-hour drive from Tallahassee. It was a favorite of Dr. Beach, regularly landing in his top ten before
hitting the top spot in 2023 . Protected from development, with plenty of activities available including fishing, swimming and kayaking in the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf, bird-watching, beachcombing, shelling, camping and what Letterman called an unparalleled view of the night sky for stargazers make the beach a favorite for Tallahassee daytrippers. The park, the longest beachfront state park in Florida, covers about 2,000 acres (810 hectares) on the east end of the island, which is connected by a bridge to the mainland across Apalachicola Bay. The other sections of the island contain a small village, restaurants, rental homes and motels, but not a whole lot else, which is a big part of the appeal for Dr. Beach.
2020: Grayton Beach State Park, Santa Rosa Beach
"This beach boasts of its sugar-white sand and emerald green water where development has been restrained so big sand dunes still dominate the landscape,"
Leatherman said in 2020 . Great restaurants and accommodations are available nearby in Grayton Beach or Seaside and many people choose to camp in this "wonderful state park that also features tidal lakes and freshwater ponds. "Former Governor Bob Graham told me that this was his favorite beach," Leatherman said.
2017 and 2011: Siesta Beach, Sarasota
Leatherman returned time and time again to Siesta Beach, and it
took the top spot twice in recent years, once in 2011 and again after he reset his eligible beaches in 2016. "With some of the finest, whitest sand in the world, this beach attracts sand collectors from all over," he said. "Siesta Beach has clear, warm waters ideal for swimming. The beach is hundreds of yards wide in the shape of a crescent due to anchoring of onshore rocks to the south. This beach is great for volleyball and other types of recreational fitness.
Who is Dr. Beach?
Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, the face behind Dr. Beach, is a proud lifelong beachgoer who started ranking beaches by accident. In 1989, a travel magazine caught Leatherman — an internationally recognized authority on beach erosion, hurricane impacts, the effects of sea level rise and rip currents — on his way out the door for a trip and asked for a list of the top 10 U.S. beaches. "Pressed by the reporter, I rattled off the first 10 wonderful beaches that came to mind," he said. And then he forgot about it until the magazine came out and the winners (and the places that were snubbed, especially Daytona Beach) started calling. So Leatherman developed 50 criteria to rate each beach and took the time to survey them all. The first Dr. Beach list was released on Memorial Day weekend in 1991, and for the next 34 years, it only got more popular as readers shared it, argued about it, and planned their vacations around it. Originally, any beach that won the top spot on Dr. Beach's list was retired and ineligible for subsequent years, but in 2016, Leatherman cleared the slate to allow any beach in the nation to once again be eligible for the contest and for the top pick. Leatherman hosted and co-produced the award-winning 1992 film “Vanishing Lands,” and has authored or edited 16 books, including, not surprisingly, "America's Best Beaches."
