The Cape Florida lighthouse is shown at sunset at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, which was listed at No. 7 on \"Dr. Beach's\" best 10 beaches in America. (LYNNE SLADKY | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) <\/p>\n
Three Florida beaches are named among the best 10 in America as ranked by the renowned \"Dr. Beach,\" Dr. Stephen Leatherman. <\/p>\n
Dr. Beach's \"Top 10\" beaches for 2013: 1. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y. 2. Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii 3. St. George Island State Park, Franklin County, northwest Florida 4. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii 5. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii 6. Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park, Bonita Springs, southwest Florida 7. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, southeast Florida 8. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, N.C. 9. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass. 10. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C. <\/p>\n
Confirmed to the 2013 Top 10 are St. George Island State Park and Cape Florida State Park, which rose to No. 3 and No. 7 from their positions in 2012. <\/p>\n
The new list also includes Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs, on Florida's southwest coast, which surged into the Top 10 for the first time, at No. 6. <\/p>\n
Leatherman praised the Florida beaches for their squeaky clean, super white sands, gentle surf and emerald-colored waters. <\/p>\n
Visit Florida's Chief Marketing Officer Paul Phipps said Florida's consistently high rankings lend scientific validation to visitor word-of-mouth that led 91.4 million visitors to the Sunshine State last year. <\/p>\n
\"Naturally, it's extremely valuable exposure that connects us with beach-lovers around the world. Whenever they see Florida in prestigious rankings such as this, they visit, and when they visit, they come back again and again,\" Phipps said. <\/p>\n
Tourism officials in Bonita Springs have always felt Barefoot Beach was worthy of the Top 10 but were thrilled to see it jump right to No. 6. <\/p>\n
\"We knew our beach and our sunsets were spectacular, but this Top 10 ranking proves that Barefoot Beach is indeed exceptional,\" said Christine Ross, president and CEO of the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce. Ross speculated that recent updates in beach facilities helped Barefoot Beach land in the middle of the rankings, rather than debuting at No. 10. <\/p>\n
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Three Florida Beaches Make Top 10 from 'Dr. Beach'<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Cape Florida lighthouse is shown at sunset at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, which was listed at No. 7 on \"Dr. Continue reading