Kathleen McCormack ‘21
As I am sure most of us at Riverview High School know, Sarasota has taken pride in the fact that it is home to the No. 1 beach in the United States.
Well, it was until 2021 rolled around, and Siesta Key Beach went from No. 1 in the country to the seventeenth. Not only has Siesta been ranked nationally, but it was also previously No. 11 in the world. Now, you can’t even find us on that list.
The question is: How could we have lost our ranking and been moved so many slots away from first?
With flour-like sand, gentle breezes, and clear blue water and skies, Siesta should have had no problem landing at least in the top ten. However, the way TripAdvisor (the company who releases the lists each year) determines which beach is supreme is through reviews from travelers. With the global pandemic and the severity of certain COVID guidelines in Florida, many people are not travelling internationally or even within the country. Yes, you will still see Florida residents soaking up the sun, but would you write a review every time you went to your local beach? I know I would not.
Although Siesta did not land the No. 1 spot, a beach many of us are familiar with did! St. Petersburg got the honor of being the top beach in the country and is only about an hour drive from Sarasota, which is pretty astonishing, given the fact that we are seventeen spots apart.
Aside from St. Pete and Siesta, six other beaches in Florida were up there in the top 25. Hopefully by next year we can work ourselves back up to the top!
Siesta Key sunsets go unrivaled as splendid colors dabbled in the clouds
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