3 Florida beaches make Dr. Beach annual Top 10 list

It’s been a few years since Florida nabbed the top spot in the annual Dr. Beach Top 10 beaches in the U.S. list, but with three Sunshine State strips of sand making the list in 2026, that wait could be ending soon. Just not this year.

Instead, the 2026 title goes to Poipu Beach on the island of Kauai in Hawaii, as determined by Stephen Leatherman, a professor at Miami’s Florida International University. He came up with his Dr. Beach list in 1991.

Coming up at No. 2, though, is Florida’s St. Andrews State Park near Panama City Beach, followed by Caladesi Island State Park near Clearwater at No. 3 and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples at No. 6.

The last Florida beach to top the list was 2023’s St. George Island State Park in the Panhandle.

Each year, Leatherman uses 50 criteria to name the top 10 beaches. When a beach makes it to No. 1, it is retired from the list so other beaches can get a shot in successive years. After 25 years, Leatherman reset it so former winners were allowed back in the mix to vie for the title.

Since that reset, which happened in 2016, Florida beaches have landed No. 1 three times: St. George Island State Park in 2023, Grayton Beach State Park in 2020 and Siesta Beach on Siesta Key near Sarasota in 2017.

St. Andrews State Park jumped to the runner-up spot after landing at No. 7 in 2025, leapfrogging Caladesi.

“An inlet separates a short section of St. Andrews from the main part of the park which is only accessed by boat both ferry and private,” Leatherman said on his website. “This strikingly white sandy beach is great for shelling and bird-watching. Swimming and snorkeling are popular in both the Gulf of America and St. Andrews Bay on the other side.”

Caladesi Island State Park had previously been climbing the charts as winning beaches retire from eligibility, but will have to wait for its chance to nab the top spot again.

Primarily accessible by boat north of Clearwater and west of Dunedin, Caladesi was rated No. 1 on the 2008 list.

“Caladesi is reached by pedestrian ferry boat, private boats or a long walk north from Clearwater Beach; the inlet is closed so Caladesi is no longer a true island, but still a great getaway,” Leatherman said. “The white beach is composed of crystalline quartz sand which is soft and cushy at the water's edge, inviting one to take a dip in the sparkling clear waters. There are boardwalk trails, but my favorite is the kayak and canoe trails through the mangroves to see the large blue herons and other birds that frequent this wonderful natural area.”

Delnor-Wiggins rejoined the Dr. Beach list in 2024 after dropping off in 2015, the last year before Leatherman hit the reset. It’s on the south side of an inlet for the Cocohatchee River in southwest Florida north of Naples.

“This barrier island beach boasts of beautiful white sand beaches and crystal-clear Gulf waters,” Leatherman writes. “Activities include swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, shelling and fishing. Wildlife in the park includes bald eagles, ospreys and manatees. Pine trees provide welcome shade.”

Other Florida beaches that have garnered previous top honors include Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg in 2005, St. Joseph Peninsula in Port St. Joe in 2002, St. Andrews State Park in Panama City in 1995 and Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine Key in 1992.

The complete list for top U.S. beaches for 2026:

1. Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

2. St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida

3. Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin-Clearwater, Florida

4. Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii

5. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York

6. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida

7. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina

8. Kaunaoa, Big Island, Hawaii

9. Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

10. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 7:06 AM.