St. Pete Beach named best in America

Photographer explains why St. Pete Beach is ranked No.1

Jordan Bowen reports

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Five of Tampa Bay’s beaches were ranked as some of the best in the U.S. by Tripadvisor, and one of them claimed the top spot: St. Pete Beach.

In years past, Clearwater Beach and Siesta Beach outranked St. Pete Beach, home of the Don CeSar, but this time it came out on top. Tripadvisor also ranked it as the fifth-best beach in the world.

"A great walking beach with white quartz sand, clear calm water, and seashells by the truckload," Tripadvisor wrote. "The most perfect place to watch the sun set."

Drone Zone: Tour the beaches, from Bradenton to Dunedin

We have some of the best beaches in the entire country and they look just as inviting from above. Here’s an aerial look at some of Florida’s Gulf Coast, from Manatee County on up through Pinellas.

Madeira Beach came in ninth place, Treasure Island came in 16th place, followed by Siesta Beach and Clearwater Beach. In previous years, Clearwater Beach came in first place.

In 2019, it ranked as the top U.S. beach for the third time within four years.

"It is wonderful news to see that not only our local residents now know why our destination is the best to not only reside, but also play," Robin Miller, CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

Last year, Pinellas and Sarasota counties were among those that closed beaches during the early months of the pandemic. After more than a month, they reopened for locals and visitors to hit the sandy shores and soak in the Florida sun.

SkyFOX drone shows sky-high view of empty Pinellas beaches

When Pinellas County shut down its beaches, the popular gathering areas were eerily empty. SkyFOX Drone gave a view of the beaches from St. Pete Beach to Clearwater Beach.