DELRAY BEACH — The Village By The Sea, aka Delray Beach, has always boasted of its destination worthiness and once again it can back that up, earning the top spot on USA Today’s “10Best” Florida beaches list.

“Our award-winning beach attracts so many visitors, protects us from hurricanes and tropical storms and is home to an abundance of native plants and animals,” City Manager Terrence Moore said. “We are privileged to have such a beautiful beach, and it is an honor to be voted the #1 Best Beach in Florida, in the USA TODAY 10Best 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.”

And Palm Beach County residents have even more celebrate. Unlike any other county in Florida, Palm Beach County has another top 10 beach. Jupiter Beach Park, with 1,700 feet of shoreline, fishing and picnic areas, came in at No. 9.

What are the USA Today ‘10Best’ Readers’ Choice Awards?

According to USA Today, the awards highlight the “best of the best,” in categories ranging from destinations, to food and drink, to hotels and things to do. Nominees for each of the categories are submitted by a panel of travel experts. The “10Best” team’s editors then narrow the field to select the Readers’ Choice Awards’ final nominees. Votes are submitted by readers online.

As early as May, Delray Beach led the polling followed by Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Panama City Beach and Clearwater Beach — all of which made it to this year’s final list.

Delray Beach draws the tourists

About 3.2 million people visit Delray Beach each year, according to the city. The beach spans about 2 miles of Palm Beach County’s southern shoreline.

This month, Delray Beach received the prestigious Blue Flag Award for the second consecutive year. The national award is presented by the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association and recognizes beaches that meet criteria ranging from safety to environmental standards.

Just about 40 miles north of Delray Beach is Jupiter Beach Park, the No. 9 on USA Today’s best beach list. Spread across nearly 50 acres, the park offers its visitors picnic areas, a jetty, fishing and snorkeling.

What other Florida beaches made USA Today’s 10Best list?

• Panama City Beach (Panama City Beach, Florida).

• Lauderdale-By-The-Sea (Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida).

• Clearwater Beach (Clearwater, Florida).

• Treasure Island Beach (Treasure Island, Florida).

• Stuart Beach (Stuart, Florida).

• Cape San Blas (Port St. Joe, Florida).

• Destin (Destin, Florida).

• Anastasia State Park (St. Augustine, Florida).

The full list of winners can be found here.

Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: This Palm Beach County beach is Florida’s best, says USA Today ranking