Ah, the beach. The bronzing sun, hot and radiant as an overhead lamp, dappling the water and shimmering the horizon. People stretched out on towels, squinting as they watch the waves chase tiny shorebirds toward the dunes. Surf washing the sand in rolling swells or, if it’s a choppy day, thundering crashes that are still not loud enough to drown out the seagulls overhead. And, of course, a bit of sand in your ice cream.
Sound like summer? It could be, but it could also be the middle of winter if you were in Florida, where temperatures stay balmy most of the year, while some places—including subtropical South Florida and the Keys—rarely see the south side of 65 degrees.
It’s perfect beach weather, and the beaches are plentiful in a state whose shoreline is second only to Alaska in measure, but second to none in terms of quality and variety of sandy locales.
But don’t take a Floridian’s word for it—the experts agree. Coastal researcher Dr. Stephen Leatherman, also known as “Dr. Beach,” consistently ranks Florida beaches among the top 10 on his annual list of America’s Best Beaches. The 2007 list includes Caladesi Island State Park in Clearwater (No. 2), Lighthouse Point Park in Daytona Beach (No. 9) and Siesta Beach in Sarasota (No. 10).
In addition, a number of the state’s beaches—including Fort Lauderdale Beach, Delray Beach, Venice Beach, Panama City Beach and virtually all of the Beaches of South Walton—have earned Blue Wave certification from the Clean Beaches Council, a nonprofit organization devoted to beach sustainability, whose criteria for endorsement include water and sand quality, ease of access, availability of lifeguards and habitat conservation.
“From the Emerald and Gold coasts to the Space Coast and America’s First Coast, Florida offers award-winning beaches in every direction,” says Eileen Forrow, vice president of sales for Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing corporation.
With the Sunshine State’s beaches making waves on a national scale, is it any wonder most visitors are reaching for their swimsuits and sandals the moment the plane lands? But for meeting planners and attendees who must head indoors and leave the sunshine behind in order to get some work done, there are myriad ways to incorporate Florida’s seaside settings into the convention agenda. After all, countless couples take their vows on Florida sands every year, complete with guests in suits and ties (and plenty of hairspray); who’s to say you couldn’t set up a PowerPoint presentation with the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico as a wide-screen backdrop?
“Florida’s thousands of miles of sand combined with beach-related activities make a memorable setting for group events or downtime,” Forrow notes.
“Planners can utilize the beaches for a variety of events, and there are unique off-site venues overlooking the beaches as well,” agrees Christine Tascione, director of convention sales for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB.
Indeed, from the Panhandle to the Keys, there are oceanfront gazeboes, boardwalks and decks galore, there are sands groomed for special events, and there are deserted stretches where your only neighbors are the wading birds.
But no matter where your group meets in the Sunshine State—even landlocked Central Florida—there is a beach within an hour’s drive, and each coastal region of the state is unique in its own way.
In Northwest Florida, residents are justly proud of their sugar-white, powder-soft sand, sparkling emerald-green Gulf waters and the sunwashed seaside towns and resort communities that go with them, including Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Seaside and Panama City Beach, “one of the top 10 beaches in the world,” asserts Dan Rowe, CEO of the Panama City Beach CVB.
“The water is beautiful, and the sand is wonderful,” Rowe says. “We’ve been very successful with our beach nourishment program.”
If you jump on Interstate 10 and head east, you’ll find yourself on the wide, expansive sands of Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine beaches, while nearby Fort Clinch Park and Anastasia Island offer pristine beaches, saltwater marshes and maritime hammocks. Just northeast of Jacksonville, Amelia Island’s 13 miles of picturesque sands invite oceanfront horseback riding.
Miles and miles of beaches along Florida’s Central West Coast include rugged seaside locales near Crystal River; the award-winning barrier island beaches of St. Petersburg/Clearwater, where a Beach Walk is being built to help visitors appreciate their beauty even more; the beach preserves and parks of Tampa Bay; and the unspoiled key and island beaches of Sarasota.
Farther south, the idyllic retreats of Sanibel, Captiva and Marco islands are among Southwest Florida’s many Gulf-side hideaways.
Head east across the state and drive right onto the hard-packed sands of Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach, or take in the natural beauty of Canaveral National Seashore’s 24 miles of undisturbed beaches. They’re all part of Central East Florida’s dazzling Atlantic coast.
Keep going and you’ll end up in South Florida, which stretches from the windswept sands of Martin County south to the resort-studded beaches of Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. In the Florida Keys, which extend southwesterly off the mainland, beaches are small and secluded. Still, Keys beaches are lovely, framed by palms and fronted by tranquil blue-green waters. In winter, the skies are brilliant blue and the water is a dark mustard color, as small whitecaps blow toward shore.
