The U.S. state of Florida has a total of 4,510 islands that are ten acres or larger. [1] This is the second-highest number of islands of any state of the United States; only Alaska has more. [1]
Major island chains include the Florida Keys, the Ten Thousand Islands, the Sea Islands, and the barrier islands of the Atlantic coast, the Panhandle Gulf of Mexico coast, and the Tampa Bay Area and Southwest Florida Gulf coast.
Island | Image | Size | County | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adams Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park. Home to the former Cocolobo Cay Club owned by Carl Fisher. | ||
Allison Island | Miami-Dade | |||
Amelia Island | 18 square miles (47 km2) [2] | Nassau | One of the Sea Islands | |
Anastasia Island | 14 square miles (36 km2) [3] | St. Johns | Barrier island | |
Anna Maria Island | 7 square miles (18 km2) | Manatee | Barrier island | |
Archer Key | 24.7 ha; 61.1 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Arsenicker Keys | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Atsena Otie Key | Levy | One of the Cedar Keys | ||
Bahia Honda Key | 524 acres (212 ha) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Ballast Key | 4.68 ha; 11.6 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Barracouta Key | 47.2 ha; 117 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Belle Isle | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in the Venetian Islands in Biscayne Bay | ||
Big Coppitt Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Big Mullet Key | 8.72 ha; 21.6 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Big Pine Key | 9.8 square miles (25 km2) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Big Talbot Island | Duval | One of the Sea Islands | ||
Big Torch Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Bird Key | 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) | Sarasota | Barrier island | |
Bird Key | Miami-Dade | in Biscayne Bay | ||
Biscayne Island | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in the Venetian Island in Biscayne Bay | ||
Black Hammock Island | Duval | In a marsh | ||
Blount Island | 2,000 acres (810 ha) | Duval | In the St. Johns River | |
Boca Chica Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Boca Chita Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Boca Grande | 3 square miles (7.8 km2) [4] | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Boot Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Brickell Key | 1.19 square miles (3.1 km2) | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | |
Caesar's Rock | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Caladesi Island | 3 square miles (7.8 km2) | Pinellas | Barrier island | |
Cape St. George Island | Franklin | Barrier island | ||
Casey Key | Sarasota | Barrier island | ||
Captiva Island | 4 square miles (10 km2) | Lee | Barrier island | |
Cayo Costa | 2,506 acres (1,014 ha) | Lee | Barrier island | |
Cedar Key | Levy | One of the Cedar Keys | ||
Chokoloskee Island | 0.23 square miles (0.60 km2) | Collier | In the Ten Thousand Islands | |
City Island | 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) | Volusia | In the Intracoastal Waterway | |
Clearwater Beach Island | Pinellas | Barrier island | ||
Coconut Island | Collier | Small barrier island | ||
Conch Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Cottrell Key | 53.4 acres (21.6 ha) | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Craig Key | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Crawfish Key | 4.23 acres (1.71 ha) | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Crawl Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Cudjoe Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Davis Islands | Hillsborough | Two artificial islands in Tampa Bay | ||
Deerfield Beach Island | Broward (part) Palm Beach (part) | Barrier island | ||
Demere Key | Lee | In Pine Island Sound | ||
Di Lido Island | Miami-Dade | In the Venetian Islands | ||
Dildo Key | 0.12 square miles (0.3 km2) | Monroe | In Everglades National Park | |
Discovery Island | 12 acres (4.9 ha) | Orange | Island formerly used as an attraction at Walt Disney World Resort | |
Dismal Key | Monroe | In the Ten Thousand Islands | ||
Dog Island | 1,842 acres (745 ha) | Franklin | Barrier island | |
Don Pedro Island | Charlotte County | Barrier island | ||
Drayton Island | 1,700 acres (690 ha) | Putnam | In Lake George | |
Dry Tortugas | Monroe | In Dry Tortugas National Park | ||
Duck Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
East Rockland Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Egmont Key | 328 acres (133 ha) | Hillsborough | Barrier island | |
Elliott Key | Miami-Dade | Largest island in Biscayne National Park | ||
Estero Island | Lee | Barrier island | ||
Fat Deer Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Fiesta Key | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Fisher Island | 222 acres (90 ha) | Miami-Dade | Barrier island | |
Flagler Monument Island | 4 acres (1.6 ha) | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | |
Fleming Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Fort George Island | Duval | One of the Sea Islands | ||
Galt Island | Lee | In Pine Island Sound | ||
Gasparilla Island | 7 square miles (18 km2) | Charlotte and Lee counties | Barrier island | |
Geiger Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Grassy Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Grove Isle | 20 acres (8.1 ha) | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | |
Hibiscus Island | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | ||
Honeymoon Island | 385 acres (156 ha) | Pinellas | Barrier island | |
Hontoon Island | 1,648 acres (667 ha) | Volusia | In St. Johns River | |
Hutchinson Island | 23.86 square miles (61.8 km2) | Martin (part) St. Lucie (part) | Barrier island | |
Hypoluxo Island [5] | 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) | Palm Beach | An island in Lake Worth Lagoon | |
Indian Key | 12 acres (4.9 ha) [6] | Monroe | In the Florida Keys | |
Joe Ingram Key | 1.00 ha; 2.47 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Jupiter Island | 3.56 square miles (9.2 km2) | Martin (part) Palm Beach (part) | Barrier island | |
Keywaydin Island | Collier | Barrier island | ||
Key Biscayne | 5 square miles (13 km2) | Miami-Dade | Barrier island | |
Key Largo | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Key Marco | Collier | In the Ten Thousand Islands | ||
Key Vaca | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Key West | 5.27 square miles (13.6 km2) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Knights Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Knockemdown Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Kreamer Island | Palm Beach | In Lake Okeechobee | ||
Lido Key | 530 acres (210 ha) | Sarasota | Barrier island | |
Lignumvitae Key | 300 acres (120 ha) [7] | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | |
Little Conch Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Little Crawl Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Little Duck Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Little Gasparilla Island | Charlotte | Barrier island | ||
Little Mullet Key | 5.86 ha; 14.5 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Little Talbot Island | 3.9 square miles (10 km2) | Duval | One of the Sea Islands | |
Little Torch Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Loggerhead Key | 49 acres (20 ha) | Monroe | In the Dry Tortugas | |
Lois Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Long Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Longboat Key | 16 square miles (41 km2) | Sarasota (part) Manatee (part) | Barrier island | |
Long Point Key | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | ||
Lovers Key | Lee | Barrier island | ||
Lower Matecumbe Key | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Makinson Island | Osceola | In Lake Tohopekaliga | ||
Man Key | 35.9 ha; 88.7 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Manasota Key | 3.089 square miles (8.00 km2) | Charlotte (part) Sarasota (part) | Barrier island | |
Marco Island | 12.1 square miles (31 km2) | Collier | Barrier island | |
Marquesas Keys | 2.541 square miles (6.58 km2) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Meig's Key | Monroe | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Melody Key | 6 acres (2.4 ha) [8] | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Merritt Island | 46.16 square miles (119.6 km2) | Brevard | Barrier island | |
Miami Beach | Miami-Dade | Barrier island | ||
Middle Torch Key | Monroe | In the Florida Keys | ||
Missouri Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Molasses Keys | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Money Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Mule Key | 5.22 ha; 12.9 acres | Monroe | One of the Mule Keys in the lower Florida Keys | |
Mule Keys | 263 ha; 649 acres | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Mullet Key | Citrus | Island in the Gulf of Mexico | ||
Munyon Island | Palm Beach | In Lake Worth Lagoon | ||
No Name Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
North Captiva Island | 4 square miles (10 km2) | Lee County | Barrier island | |
North Hutchinson Island/ Orchid Island | 23.86 square miles (61.8 km2) | Indian River (part) St. Lucie (part) | Barrier island | |
Ohio Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Old Rhodes Key | Miami-Dade | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Palm Beach Island | 8.12 square miles (21.0 km2) | Palm Beach | Barrier island | |
Palm Island | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | ||
Palm Key | Monroe | In Florida Bay | ||
Paradise Island | Osceola | In Lake Tohopekaliga | ||
Park Key | 70 acres (28 ha) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Peanut Island | 0.32 square kilometres (0.12 sq mi) | Palm Beach | Artificial island in Lake Worth Lagoon | |
Pelican Island | 3 acres (1.2 ha) | St. Lucie | In the Indian River | |
Perdido Key | Escambia | Barrier island | ||
Perico Island | Manatee | In Tampa Bay | ||
Picnic Islands | Miami-Dade | Small group of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay | ||
Pigeon Key | 5 acres (2.0 ha) | Monroe | In the middle Florida Keys | |
Pine Island | 18 square miles (47 km2) | Lee | Largest island in Florida | |
Plantation Key | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Porgy Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Ragged Keys | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Ramrod Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Rattlesnake Key | Manatee | In Tampa Bay | ||
Reid Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Ritta Island | 5 square miles (13 km2) | Palm Beach | In Lake Okeechobee | |
Rivo Alto Island | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in the Venetian Islands in Biscayne Bay | ||
Rockland Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Rubicon Keys | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Saddlebunch Keys | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Sand Key | 95 acres (38 ha) | Pinellas | Barrier island | |
Sands Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Sandspur Island | 15 acres (6.1 ha) | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | |
Sanibel Island | 33.25 square miles (86.1 km2) | Lee | Barrier island | |
San Marco Island | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in the Venetian Islands in Biscayne Bay | ||
San Marino Island | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in the Venetian Islands in Biscayne Bay | ||
Santa Rosa Island | Escambia (part) Santa Rosa (part) Okaloosa (part) | Barrier island | ||
Scout Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Shark Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Shell Key | Pinellas | Barrier island | ||
Siesta Key | 8 square miles (21 km2) [9] | Sarasota | Barrier Island | |
Sigsbee Park (Dredgers Key) | Monroe | Artificial island in the lower Florida Keys | ||
Singer Island | Palm Beach | Barrier peninsula | ||
Snead Island | 0.75 square miles (1.9 km2) [10] | Manatee | ||
Soldier Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Spanish Harbor Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
St. Armands Key | 83.6 acres (33.8 ha) | Sarasota | In Sarasota Bay | |
St. George Island | 28 square miles (73 km2) | Franklin | Barrier island | |
St. James Island | Franklin | Separated from the mainland by the Crooked River | ||
St. Vincent Island | Franklin | Barrier island | ||
Star Island | 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | |
Stock Island | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Sugarloaf Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Summerland Key | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Sunset Key | 27 acres (11 ha) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Tea Table Key | Monroe | In the Florida Keys | ||
Ten Thousand Islands | Collier (part) Monroe (part) | Chain of islands | ||
Thousand Islands | Brevard | Group in the Banana River | ||
Three Rooker Island | Pinellas | Barrier island | ||
Torch Keys (Big, Little, and Middle Torch Keys) | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | ||
Totten Key | Miami-Dade | In Biscayne National Park | ||
Treasure Island | Pinellas | Barrier island | ||
Upper Matecumbe Key | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Useppa Island | 1 square mile (2.6 km2) | Lee | In Pine Island Sound | |
Venetian Islands | Miami-Dade | Group of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay | ||
Venice Island | 16.81 square miles (43.5 km2) | Sarasota | Barrier island | |
Virginia Key | 863 acres (349 ha) | Miami-Dade | Barrier island | |
Watson Island | 179 acres (72 ha) | Miami-Dade | Artificial island in Biscayne Bay | |
Windley Key | Monroe | In the upper Florida Keys | ||
Wisteria Island | 10.6 ha; 26.3 acres | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Woman Key | 31.8 ha; 78.5 acres | Monroe | In the lower Florida Keys | |
Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, FL metropolitan statistical area.
Marco Island is a city and barrier island in Collier County, Florida, 20 miles (32 km) south of Naples on the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is the largest barrier island in Southwest Florida's Ten Thousand Islands area, which extends southerly to Cape Sable. Marco Island is home to an affluent beach community with resort amenities.
Siesta Key is a barrier island off the southwest coast of the U.S. state of Florida, located between Roberts Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. A portion of it lies within the city boundary of Sarasota, but the majority of the key is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County. Siesta Key is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
St. Augustine is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County located 40 miles south of downtown Jacksonville. The city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in what is now the contiguous United States.
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater inflow into the bay is the Hillsborough River, which flows into Hillsborough Bay in downtown Tampa. Many other smaller rivers and streams also flow into Tampa Bay, resulting in a large watershed area.
The Florida panhandle is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a salient roughly 200 miles (320 km) long, bordered by Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is arbitrarily defined. It is defined by its southern culture and rural geography relative to the rest of Florida, as well as closer cultural links to French-influenced Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Its major communities include Pensacola, Navarre, Destin, Panama City Beach, and Tallahassee.
Lido Key is a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota and is connected to mainland Sarasota by John Ringling Causeway.
Sarasota Bay is a lagoon located off the central west coast of Florida in the United States. Though no significant single stream of freshwater enters the bay, with a drainage basin limited to 150 square miles in Manatee and Sarasota counties, it is generally treated as an estuary, with three "passes" or inlets giving access from the Gulf of Mexico. Its source of freshwater has been increased from natural historical levels by urban runoff.
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park is a National Wildlife Refuge and State Park located on the island of Egmont Key, at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Egmont Key lies southwest of Fort De Soto Park and can only be reached by boat or ferry. Located within Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park are the 1858 Egmont Key Lighthouse, maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, and the ruins of Fort Dade, a Spanish–American War era fort that housed 300 residents. Egmont Key is located in Hillsborough County Florida on a narrow strip of the county that extends along the Tampa Port Shipping Channel.
The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The principal cities listed by the OMB for the MSA are North Port, Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 891,411 in 2022.
Lignumvitae Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys.
The Big Bend of Florida, United States, is an informally named geographic region of North Florida where the Florida Panhandle transitions to the Florida Peninsula south and east of Tallahassee. The region is known for its vast woodlands and marshlands and its low population density relative to much of the state. The area is home to the largest single spring in the United States, the Alapaha Rise, and the longest surveyed underwater cave in the United States, the 32-mile (51 km) Wakulla-Leon Sinks cave system.
Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County on the west-central coast of Florida, United States. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway from the rest of the city of Clearwater, Florida, of which it is part, Clearwater Beach is at a geographic latitude of 27.57 N and longitude 82.48 W.
The environment of Florida in the United States yields an array of land and marine life in a mild subtropical climate. This environment has drawn millions of people to settle in the once rural state over the last hundred years. Florida's population increases by about 1,000 residents each day. Land development and water use have transformed the state, primarily through drainage and infill of the wetlands that once covered most of the peninsula.
Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida, in the United States. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass, on the east by Anna Maria Sound, and on the north by Tampa Bay. Anna Maria Island is approximately 7 miles (11 km) long north to south.
Much of the state of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. Spanning two time zones, it extends to the northwest into a panhandle along the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama, on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama. It is near The Bahamas, and several Caribbean countries, particularly Cuba. Florida has 131 public airports, and more than 700 private airports, airstrips, heliports, and seaplane bases. Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area.
Charles T. Meide Jr., known as Chuck Meide, is an underwater and maritime archaeologist and currently the Director of LAMP, the research arm of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum located in St. Augustine, Florida. Meide, of Syrian descent on his father's side, was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and raised in the adjacent coastal town of Atlantic Beach. He earned BA and MA degrees in Anthropology with a focus in underwater archaeology in 1993 and 2001 from Florida State University, where he studied under George R. Fischer, and undertook Ph.D. studies in Historical Archaeology at the College of William and Mary starting the following year. Meide has participated in a wide array of shipwreck and maritime archaeological projects across the U.S., especially in Florida, and throughout the Caribbean and Bermuda and in Australia and Ireland. From 1995 to 1997 he participated in the search for, discovery, and total excavation of La Salle's shipwreck, La Belle , lost in 1686. From December 1997 to January 1998 he served as Co-Director of the Kingstown Harbour Shipwreck Project, an investigation sponsored by the Institute of Maritime History and Florida State University into the wreck of the French frigate Junon (1778) lost in 1780 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In 1999 he directed the Dog Island Shipwreck Survey, a comprehensive maritime survey of the waters around a barrier island off the coast of Franklin County, Florida, and between 2004 and 2006 he directed the Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland. Since taking over as Director of LAMP in 2006, he has directed the First Coast Maritime Archaeology Project, a state-funded research and educational program focusing on shipwrecks and other maritime archaeological resources in the offshore and inland waters of Northeast Florida. In 2009, during this project, Meide discovered the "Storm Wreck," a ship from the final fleet to evacuate British troops and Loyalist refugees from Charleston at the end of the Revolutionary War, which wrecked trying to enter St. Augustine in late December 1782. He led the archaeological excavation of this shipwreck site each summer from 2010 through 2015, overseeing the recovery of thousands of well-preserved artifacts.