Florida's St. George Island tops list of nation's best beaches: annual report
'Dr. Beach' has ranked America's 650 public beaches for the past 33 years, releasing the top 10 each year before Memorial Day
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A small barrier island off the Florida panhandle can now boast the title of the nation's best beach for 2023, according to an annual ranking released by Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman.
Leatherman, a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at FIU who is known as "Dr. Beach," released his top 10 public beaches for the year on Thursday. He has ranked America's 650 public beaches on an annual basis for the past 33 years.
This year's winner? The state park on St. George Island.
St. George Island, which boasts a nine-mile stretch of white sand in an unspoiled natural setting along the Gulf of Mexico, has made Leatherman's list numerous times in years past, but he said the "idyllic place" claimed the crown this year because of its natural beauty, lack of development, abundant outdoor activities and an "unparalleled view" of the night sky.
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FILE - Miles of empty beach and billions of sea shells await a lone beachcomber at St. George Island State Park near Apalachicola in the Florida Panhandle, Feb. 5, 2007. (William Kronholm / AP Newsroom)
The 2,000-acre park is located on the east side of the island, which is connected to the state's mainland by a bridge across Apalachicola Bay. The island is fairly remote and not heavily populated by hotels, activities and shopping areas – like most beach towns.
"People can have the best of both worlds there, just miles and miles of unspoiled beaches," Leatherman said.
When ranking the beaches, Leatherman uses an intense scoring chart, which he calls Fifty Criteria, to guide his decisions. Characteristics factoring into the final score include sand type, wave action, whether lifeguards are present, wildlife presence, the level development and crowding, public safety, noise, and much more.
Leatherman also advocates for no smoking on beaches and gives extra credit to those that forbid the action. During recent trip to St. George Island, he noted that he didn't see any discarded cigarette butts.
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Florida, Gulf Coast, St. George Island State Park coastal marsh along Apalachicola Bay. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Over the years, the island has been slammed by tropical storms and hurricanes, most recently by Category 5 Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Though the storm made landfall 50 miles northwest in Mexico Beach, it left behind significant damage on the island – leveling sand dunes and damaging various park facilities.
In 2005, storms and erosion caused a 153-year-old lighthouse on nearby, uninhabited Little St. George Island to collapse into the Gulf, The Associated Press reported. The structure was rebuilt on the main island after volunteers salvaged 22,000 of the original bricks and found the 19th-century plans at the National Archives.
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A second Florida beach, Caladesi Island State Park near Clearwater and Dunedin, also made Leatherman's top 10 this year, coming in as the nation's fourth-best beach.
The rest of the top 10 included three beaches in Hawaii, one West Coast beach and four East Coast beaches.
Leatherman releases the ranking ahead of Memorial Day each year.
Barrier Islands, northern Florida Gulf Coast, St George and Dog Islands. (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
FULL RANKINGS
1. St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle
St. George Island State Park is seen in Florida. (Courtesy: DrBeach.org)
2. Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
FILE - Duke Kahanamoku Beach, located in the Honolulu tourist neighborhood of Waikiki, Hawaii, is pictured on May 21, 2014. (Sam Eifling, File / AP Images)
3. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
FILE - Coopers Beach in Southampton, N.Y., is pictured on May 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File / AP Images)
4. Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
The main beach at Caladesi Island State Park, a barrier island along the Gulf of Mexico, on Florida's West Coast in Dunedin, Florida. (Craig Litten, File / AP Images)
5. Lighthouse Beach, Buxton, Outer Banks of North Carolina
6. Coronado Beach, San Diego
Part of a Navy helicopter squadron flies over beachgoers on the Coronado Beach in Coronado, Calif., May 22, 2012. (Lenny Ignelzi, File / AP Images)
7. Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Wailea beach seen from above in Wailea, Kihei, Hawaii on the island of Maui, July 30, 2022. (Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)
8. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
9. Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
Beachwalk in Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. (Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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10. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A couple walks the shore at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, MA on July 21, 2020. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.