South Florida Beach Guides
This directory covers 41 beaches across Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, each with a straight-up guide to lifeguards, parking, dog rules, and restrooms. It is built for anyone planning a beach day, from a family picking a guarded spot to a visitor who wants free parking. Island Water Sports has run four stores on this stretch of coast since 1978.
How to pick a beach
Not every beach here is guarded, and not every beach has free parking. Carlin Park, Juno Beach Park & Pier, and Jupiter Beach Park are free to park at and staffed by lifeguards daily. Others charge for parking or a per-car entry fee, and a handful, including Bal Harbour Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and Surfside Beach, have no lifeguard on duty at all. Dog rules vary by city too: most beaches on this list do not allow dogs, but Carlin Park, Hollywood Beach, North Shore Open Space Park, and Spanish River Park set aside a dog area. Check the individual guide before you load the car.
What each guide covers
Every listing in this directory answers the same set of questions: is it guarded, where do you park and what does it cost, are dogs allowed, and are there restrooms on site. Some entries also note a per-car entry fee where the county or city charges one, like Dania Beach Pier's $1.75 or Red Reef Park's $35. Use the county groupings below to find beaches near a specific town, or start from whichever store is closest to you.
Local knowledge since 1978
Island Water Sports has run four stores on this stretch of coast, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, and Delray Beach, since 1978, and that means someone here has probably stood on most of the sand in this directory. If you are chasing waves instead of a beach day, our surf reports cover conditions at /pages/surf-reports.
Palm Beach County
Broward County
Miami-Dade County
FAQ
Which beaches on this list are guarded by lifeguards?
Most are, at least part of the year. Lifeguards patrol daily or seasonally at the majority of beaches in this directory, including Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Delray Municipal Beach, and Red Reef Park. Five have none: Bal Harbour Beach, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and Surfside Beach.
Which beaches have free parking?
Eight do: Carlin Park, Coral Cove Park, DuBois Park, Juno Beach Park & Pier, Jupiter Beach Park, Ocean Cay Park, Ocean Inlet Park, and Ocean Reef Park. Many others use metered or paid parking, and a few, like Red Reef Park and Spanish River Park, add a per-car entry fee on top.
Which beaches allow dogs?
Dog areas are the exception, not the rule. Carlin Park, Hollywood Beach, North Shore Open Space Park, and Spanish River Park each set aside a dog area on the beach itself. Dania Beach Pier, Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, Juno Beach Park & Pier, and Lake Worth Beach & Pier allow dogs nearby but not on the main beach. Every other beach in this directory does not allow dogs.