A Handful of Florida Beaches Are Ranked Among the Deadliest in the Nation. What to Know

Waves make their way toward New Smyrna Beach, Florida. (Dreamstime/TNS)

By Jeff Kleinman From Miami Herald

Miami—The beach in Fort Lauderdale has been ranked among the top 10 deadliest in the nation in a travel survey. It’s the only one in South Florida to make the Top 10 list, which is dominated by other beaches in the state.

Shark attacks, surf fatalities and hurricanes were factors in the rankings, Travel Lens reported.

Fort Lauderdale, at No. 10, is one of seven Florida beaches on the list. New Smyrna Beach, 105 miles southeast of Jacksonville, was ranked No. 1.

In addition to Fort Lauderdale and New Smyrna, here are the other Florida sites included in the Top 10:

• Cocoa Beach (No. 2)
• Ormond Beach (No. 3)
• Panama City Beach (No. 4)
• Melbourne Beach (No. 6)
• Jacksonville Beach (No. 7)

Using the various factors, the report shows that, for example, Fort Lauderdale beach received a “danger score” of 5.37 out of 10. Fort Lauderdale recorded three surf zone fatalities and two shark attacks since 2010, the report said. The beach also has been affected by 120 hurricanes from 1851 to 2020.

The full report is as www.travellens.co/americas-deadliest-beaches.

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