Florida Residents Just Voted on Their Favorite Beaches — Here Are the Top 10

Clearwater Beach is Florida’s favorite beach, according to Florida residents themselves.

As Florida locals, we know how hard it is to pick just one favorite. With 825 miles of coastline ranging from calm Gulf waters to Atlantic surf breaks, the state has no shortage of options. While we’re not complaining about having so many awesome places to walk the sandy shores, the sheer abundance of options is also one of the most challenging parts of living in the Sunshine State.

So we surveyed Florida residents and asked them to name the best beach in the state. Clearwater Beach came out on top — see the full ranking of Florida’s best beaches below.

Why it’s #1
It’s no surprise that readers chose Clearwater Beach as their top pick. It consistently holds a spot on “Best of” lists and currently holds the #2 position on TripAdvisor’s Best Beaches in the United States. This lively beach is surrounded by hotels, shops, and restaurants. Families love it, as the shallow, calm water is suitable for little swimmers. It’s also a great spot for building sandcastles, and you can see some pretty elaborate sand sculptures during the annual Sugar Sand Festival. Clearwater Beach is also the #1 U.S. beach for sunsets.

Don’t miss
Every night there’s a sunset celebration at Pier 60. Starting two hours before the sun sets, you can find street performers and vendors at the pier, and it’s the best free thing to do in Clearwater Beach. 

Award-winning beach
Siesta Beach is another Florida beach that has racked up its share of awards, such as one of the latest ones from U.S. News and World Report. They gave Siesta Key the #1 spot on their list of Best Beaches in the U.S. for 2026.

It’s all about the sand
There’s one unique factor that has contributed to this beach’s fame—the sand. While Florida’s Gulf Coast is known for its pretty white beaches, the powdery sand found at Siesta Beach is exceptionally special. It’s made of 99% pure quartz. That composition makes it cool to touch, which is a welcome treat to bare feet on hot summer days. 

Famous for a reason
Miami Beach is one of Florida’s most famous beaches and is one of the top places in Florida to spot celebrities. It has some of Florida’s best Michelin restaurants, along with legendary nightlife. The section that makes up South Beach is a trendy and vibrant area that’s full of swanky bars and nightclubs, but there are quieter areas, too. North Beach is popular with families, as it is less crowded and calmer.

See the Art Deco district
Miami Beach is also a very artsy community, and that even extends to the beach itself, where you can see one-of-a-kind lifeguard towers that are functional works of art. The architecture that makes up the Art Deco district is also one of the coolest assets of the area. The Miami Design Preservation League conducts daily tours that let you get an even deeper look at the city’s design history. 

Great for families
About 20 miles south of Clearwater Beach, you’ll find another of Florida’s best beaches—St. Pete Beach. This is another favorite for families, though it does have a more laid-back vibe. This stretch of beach has some great beachfront resorts which have an array of amenities onsite, allowing families to have a great vacation without even leaving the resort.

Explore more
For those who choose to venture out, Upham Beach is a popular spot, but for an even more relaxing atmosphere, you can head to Pass-a-Grille Beach, one of the other local favorites that’s located on the southern tip of St. Pete Beach. 

Quiet and kid-friendly
Anna Maria Island is a barrier island located west of Bradenton, and on the southern end of the island is where you’ll find Coquina Beach. The white sand and clear blue water are what draw people to this quiet beach. Bean Point is another scenic beach on the north end of the island, but due to currents, it’s not ideal for swimming. Coquina Beach has calmer water, though, and is a great place to take the kids for a swim. The on-site playground is an added bonus for families. There are multiple picnic tables available for beach-goers to use, but if you have a larger group, you can also rent one of the larger pavilions.

Don’t miss
Bridge Street is a cute historic district about a mile away that has more restaurants, bars, and little boutiques. Just hop on the free Anna Maria Island Trolley and catch a ride there.  

Spacious coastline
While this Honeymoon Island State Park does get a lot of visitors, it has four miles of coastline, which allows plenty of room to spread out. Being located inside a state park also means it has retained its natural beauty, and many people appreciate the peacefulness of this undeveloped beach. Visitors can also take a ferry from here to Caladesi Island, another Florida state park that you can only reach by boat. 

Don’t miss
The park is a part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and you can spot so many avian species there, including an abundance of shorebirds and nesting osprey. If you take a walk down the nature trails, you can also see a lot of songbirds.

A quiet escape
St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States and its historic downtown is popular with those who want a peek into the nation’s past. But just a couple of miles away from the busy city is the quiet, natural coastline inside Anastasia State Park. More history awaits there, and that’s where you can find the coquina that was used to build many of the city’s buildings. The remains of the old quarries are still there. Another thing that sets this serene beach apart from many others in Florida is the scenic dunes.

Don’t miss
This is another great spot for birdwatching, and you can also hike or take a paddling tour from Anastasia State Park to the St. Augustine Lighthouse. If you want to stay overnight, you can book a spot at the campground or stay in one of the onsite bungalows. 

A Panhandle favorite
Pensacola Beach is the only beach in the Florida Panhandle to make the list. The emerald water is clear and calm, and the beach has a vibrant atmosphere full of fun things to do. Quietwater Beach is one of the most popular spots, and you’ll find a giant seashell there. With the pretty water in the background, this is a great place to grab a picture with your family and friends.

Don’t miss
The Pensacola Beach Boardwalk is also located in this area, where you’ll find shops, restaurants, and beach bars. Bamboo Willies is one of the best and has an assortment of frozen drinks that can cool you down on a hot summer day. It’s pretty common to hear the sounds of live music there, too. 

Luxury vibes
Las Olas Beach is an upscale, manicured beach that is lined with palm trees. Paired with the pretty sparkling water, it just has that iconic luxury feel. You can rent beach chairs onsite and have easy access to anything you could possibly need. While some of the other beaches in the area offer a quieter vibe, Las Olas Beach lies within a developed area surrounded by bars, restaurants, boutiques, and hotels.

Don’t miss
Las Olas Boulevard is one of Fort Lauderdale’s trendiest spots and the street ends at the beach. It has been called one of the most walkable streets in the United States, and is the location of multiple annual events, including the Las Olas Wine & Food Festival and one of the area’s coolest holiday events—Christmas on Las Olas. 

Shark Tooth Capital of the World
It’s hard not to love Venice Beach, a shoreline that’s earned the credibility of being called the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World.” The toothy fish have put this beach on the map and for those who want to sift through sand to search for shark teeth, this is the place to go. The fossilized triangular treasures dot the beach, and your chances of finding one (or a pocketful) are really good here.

Don’t miss 
The shark theme continues as you step off of the sand and into the laid-back downtown. You can participate in a free self-guided scavenger hunt and search for 10 bronze shark sculptures. Do it at your own pace and stop in local shops or grab a bite whenever you like. Unless you visit during one of the town’s larger events, such as the Venice Sharks Tooth Festival that happens each April, you’ll find a quieter, old-Florida feel. 

A few beaches just missed the cut but are well worth a visit. Sebastian Inlet State Park is popular with surfers and anglers, with one of the state’s best breaks in Melbourne Beach, and the inlet itself is a hotspot for snook and tarpon. Bowman’s Beach in Sanibel is the island’s quiet, shell-strewn escape. No high-rises, no crowds, just miles of undeveloped coastline perfect for beachcombing. Bahia Honda State Park offers some of the clearest turquoise water in the Florida Keys, framed by the old railroad bridge that once carried Flagler’s line south. St. Andrews State Park is famous for its sugar-white sand and calm, jetty-protected swimming coves, a favorite for snorkeling and families with little ones. And Dania Beach rounds things out with a laid-back, old-Florida feel and a fishing pier that’s been a local hotspot for decades.

On August 3, 2026, we surveyed 504 Florida residents about their favorite beaches in Florida. Respondents picked their favorite beach from a pre-compiled list of 31 popular Florida beaches. To arrive at our shortlist of beaches for the survey, we gathered data on over 700 beaches in the state using Google Maps. We then applied review count and star rating thresholds to reduce this list to just over 400 beaches. We further filtered beaches down to just those with a Public Beach, State Park, Park, or Public Beach location type designation on Google Maps. Then we sorted the remaining beaches by review count and used the 31 beaches with the most Google reviews in our survey. The top 10 beaches are the ones with the highest vote counts. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 79 years old, with 49.8% female, 49% male, and 1.2% nonbinary.