Sunsets in the neighborhood

2008-11-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

patty loves sunsets. and orchids and redskins.

Floridana Beach

2008-11-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Floridana Beach!

Hi there, you have arrived at www.floridana.com a place dedicated to spreading the word about Floridana Beach, a great family friendly beach neighborhood in Brevard County, Florida. Floridana is located on the Atlantic coast of the sunshine state, about 50 miles east of Orlando near the middle of the long stretch of sand known as Melbourne Beach.

How long is this stretch of sand, or barrier island? The barrier island is about 40 miles long in total, but from the Melbourne Causeway (which connects to Rt. 192 and I-95) going south to the beautiful Sebastian Inlet bridge, and the Sebastian Inlet State Park. It is a stretch of about 14 miles of beach. Floridana is 8 miles south of Indialantic and 6 miles north of Sebastian Inlet. Ninety percent of that 14 mile stretch is known as Melbourne Beach, most of it is very quiet and peaceful and all of it is relaxing, with a refreshing natural atmosphere.

Click the Google icon below to open an interactive map of our area.

To describe Floridana Beach you first must know what it is not. It is not a tourist trap, it has no boardwalk and there is no miniature golf here or even a salt water taffy shop. This area also should not be confused with the Florida Keys, we have sandy beaches, and no crowds... which we feel is a plus. We also have consistently good waves for surfing, the water is much cooler in the winter (similar to summer ocean temps in the mid-Atlantic region) and we have real seasons, kind of.

So, what is Floridana Beach? First and foremost it is all about the beach and the ocean, because every home in Floridana Beach is within 1 block of the ocean. The sand on our beach is very soft and a silvery in color. There are an abundance of shells, that run down the beach in long parallel lines as a result of the tide leaving. The water is pleasantly warm in the fall and spring, refreshing in the winter and very warm in the summer. Wading in to the ocean, which is typically a muted greenish blue in color, you will find that it has a soft sandy bottom (once you get past the first few feet of the shore, where shells sometime pile up).

Visitors and newcomers typically find it interesting that the appearance of our beach, our waves and the water seem to change daily - it is rare that the sea looks the same for two days in a row. You will see an amazing variety of shells, driftwood, softness of the sand, color of the water, waves, seabirds and even people from one day to the next. The dunes are very tall and steep and typically topped with sea oats and other plants.

Typically, this variety is driven by wind direction, speed and the resulting and wave action. Surf fisherman and women typically target pompano, the world's tastiest fish. They prefer calm conditions and clear water so that the pompano can find the bait (use clams or sand fleas and very small/sharp hooks) more easily.

Surfers prefer good sized swells and get really happy when the breeze is blowing offshore (out to sea) because that makes the waves smoother. Surfing is almost a religion here, we have surf schools to teach newcomers, we have numerous surf shops, we have a World Class surfing contest here very year, and our local high school even has a surfing team.

Beachcomers and shell collectors like to get out in the aftermath of storms to see what mother nature has washed up. The area is great for collecting shells, sea beans and driftwood. If you're not familiar with sea beans, take a look here. We even occasionally have folks finding gold and silver treasure on the beach. You see, this area is the final resting place for many a sunken ship, including some amazing hauls of gold and silver treasure from ten Spanish shipwrecks from 1715. We even have the McClarty Treasure Museum, which displays many artifacts from those wrecks, and is built on the site of the survivor's (and salvager's) camp. The museum is located about 10 miles south of Floridana Beach.

Like Eskimos describing types of snow, locals here have a multitude of ways to describe the beach and water conditions, for example: glassy, blown out, choppy, chilly (under 75 degrees), cold (under 65 degrees) and our favorite… perfect. We get a lot of perfect beach days here, with our warm waters, mild winters and relatively low rainfall amounts. This has got to be the sunniest, driest place in Florida.

Another thing that really makes Floridana special is the abundance of wildlife along the beach and inland as well. Of course there are the usual sand crabs and seagulls, but newcomers are often amazed by the sight of enormous pelicans diving for fish while scooting within inches of the water, manatees moving along the shore, a myriad of sport fish (bluefish, tarpon, redfish, mackerel, jacks) feeding on the bait fish near the waters edge, dolphins playing in the waves, and even whales - it is always cool to see something new each day.

And that’s just during the daytime, during warmer weather it is sea turtle nesting season and female sea turtles of various types come up on our beaches to bury their eggs. Weeks later, the babies dig their way out and crawl to the sea. It is really is amazing to see the huge mounds of sand that the mothers pile up when the eggs are laid, and follow their tracks up the beach and back to the sea. It is equally cool to see the little, leathery eggshells all over the sand in the summer months.

Floridana is a great place for families to visit or to live. The beach is perfect for all kids, as there is plenty of room to run, explore for great shells, see the sand crabs and watch the birds! Older kids love to learn to surf or boogie board in the waves. On days when the wind is down and there is no swell, it is very safe for younger children, but on days with waves and winds, you should be careful with the little ones. There are no lifeguards on the Floridana Beach.

Since Floridana Beach is at the southern end of Melbourne Beach, it is away from most of the local hotels, thus away from crowds of people. There were many days, when you may only see one other person on the beach and they were so far away you could only see a body. Even on holidays like Memorial Day or the 4th of July, you may only see 20-30 people the length of the shore in both directions.

If you would like to explore this area of Melbourne Beach, then you should consider renting one of the dozens of private vacation rentals available on the beach or within a block or so. Rentals are available by the week, month, season (typically January through March) or annually. Give us a call at 321.722.9906 (or toll free at 866.729.8885) we will be glad to answer your questions and check pricing and availability. The variety is huge and the rates are very reasonable.

Floridana is part of what we call the “south beaches”, typically described as the area south of the golf course at Spessard Holland park at the south border of the Town of Melbourne Beach. Once you drive about a mile past the golf course, you will notice a transformation of the scenery. The county and state have done a fantastic job of providing numerous small beach parks, with showers, covered picnic areas and ample parking every few minutes all the way down to the Sebastian Inlet Park.

You will also notice a tremendous amount of undeveloped land, much of which is nature preserve, with many nature trails where you can take a walk and get a feel for what this area was like 50 or 100 (or 1000) years ago. We have a favorite nature trail, that ends up at a series of shallow lakes along the Indian River Lagoon. This spot is a magnet for large wading birds like grey herons, huge storks and even roseate spoonbills. It is pretty easy to quietly and slowly ease up to them while they are looking for food and get some great pictures. A neat thing about this amazing spot is that it can actually be reached by older folks or parents with young children by an unmarked route that only takes about 2 minutes of walking!

That is Floridana beach in a nutshell, we hope you'll come visit one day. Please bookmark our website- there is a lot of information here about Brevard County, Melbourne Beach and Floridana here for you including homes for sale, weather, surf reports, MLS listings and much more.

Floridana and Beyond

Sunsets in the neighborhood

Floridana Beach