Coming to Florida offers me that wonderful environment around its water bodies.
The weather in Florida is always sunny and warm at all times of the year.
This is why it is a must-visit destination for tourists and vacationers.
However, does Florida have a longer coastline than California?
Yes, Florida has a longer coastline than California.
Florida is a peninsula state, meaning three sides are surrounded by water: the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida.
Does Florida have a longer coastline than California?
Yes, Florida has a longer coastline compared to what you see in most states.
For instance, California’s coastline on the Pacific Ocean towards the west is about 5,515 km, but the coastline of Florida is about 13,576 km long.
The coastline of Florida is the longest in America.
The length of its coastline from one end to the other is 1,350 miles (2,170 km).
This does not include its many barrier islands.
Out of this 1,350 miles long coastline, about 825 miles (2,170 km) are sandy beaches.
There is so much beach access in Florida.
Everywhere in the state is less than 60 miles (96 km) from a beach.
About two-thirds of the coastline of Florida comprises sandy beaches.
The beaches of Florida are very important in the state’s tourism economy.
They are the places you will see all kinds of wildlife and vegetation you cannot see in any other place in America.
Famous Beaches
The top beaches in America are found in Florida.
This is the reason it is called America’s Riviera.
You will get nightlife at its best at Miami’s South Beach.
“Spring Break Capital” is the second name of Panama City.
It is the most preferred beach by college students.
Motorsport racers choose to visit Daytona Beach because of its hard-packed sand.
The Daytona International Speedway was built in 1959, but before then, Daytona Beach Road Course had been hosting races for over 50 years.
Elevation
Florida’s topography is the lowest compared to other states in America.
The elevation of most of the state is at or near sea level.
Britton Hill, located in Walton County close to the Alabama border, is the highest point in the state at an elevation of 345 feet.
The protection, restoration, and management of the coastal systems of Florida is the primary responsibility of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Beaches Programs, a department in the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection.
Some of Florida’s most treasured natural resources are the 825-mile-long sandy coastline facing the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, also known as the Straits of Florida.
The beaches of Florida deserve their ratings because of the features they offer and their contributions to the economy and environment of the state.
Life on Florida’s Coastlines
Many species of plants and animals exist in the coastal sandy beach system.
They depend on the beaches, dunes, and nearshore waters for some or all of their day-to-day existence.
For instance, resident and migratory shorebirds come to the beaches to rest, forage, and nest.
Marine turtles come out of the water during summer to nest on the beaches of Florida.
The beach and its adjacent habitats are home to more than 30 species of plants and animals classified as rare within the state.
The aquatic plants and animals are now used to the harsh environment of saltwater in the ocean.
They have learned to live in its shifting and infertile sand, the bright sunlight on the beaches, and the storms of the ocean.
According to the 2015 record of the Economic Evaluation of Florida’s Investment in Beaches, about 19 million tourists visit the beaches of Florida every year.
Both tourists and locals gather at the beach to spend their idle time and relish the sights and sounds of nature.
Some other people come to the beaches and other bodies of water to engage in activities like boating, fishing, diving, and many other recreational activities.
These are the things that make the beaches of Florida a very important aspect of Florida’s economy.
The dune system protects the coastal development or infrastructure from storm waves that come from the ocean.
Wave storms first get to the beach and dunes before getting to the properties at the upland.
The beach and the dune system weaken the momentum of the storm before they get to the upload properties, thereby minimizing any damage it may cause to them.
Parts I and II of Chapter 161 of the Florida Beach and Shore Preservation Act gave the government of Florida the right to manage the sandy beaches and adjacent coastal systems of the state.
There are three interrelated programs provided by the Act by which the agency will carry out its responsibility of protecting the state’s sandy beaches.
These programs are the Coastal Construction Control Line; Beach Management Funding Assistance; and Beaches, Inlets, and Ports programs.
Florida’s coastline
The habitats along the coastline affected by erosion were restored through beach restoration and nourishment projects.
All applications for projects on the beach, inlet facing the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida, or associated inlets must go through the joint coastal permit (JCP), through the Beaches, Inlets, and Ports Program (BIPP).
BIPP also processes ERPs for navigational dredging of deepwater ports.
Note that every one of these projects is below the mean high water line and extends into the sovereign submerged lands.
They may affect the distribution of sand on the beaches.
FAQs
Which state has the smallest coastline?
New Hampshire has the smallest coastlie.
Like many other New England states, New Hampshire is home to large granite deposits.
Granite is a hard and long-lasting igneous rock used in building houses.
At the time, New Hampshire had so many quarries that other states were getting a supply of this rock from it.
The length of New Hampshire’s coastline on the Atlantic Ocean is 13 miles (21 km), making it the shortest coastline of any state boarded by an ocean.
How many US states have a coastline?
30 states have coastlines in America.
23 states have their coastline on the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Maine, and the Pacific Ocean.
Eight of the states have big Lake shorelines.
New York is the only state with a coastline on the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
Is California losing its coastline?
Yes,The coastal cliffs in the northern cities of California erode faster than those at other places in the state.
This report came from a new study that used high-resolution data to dictate hot spots where cliffs are fast eroding along the state’s entire coast.
