Top 10 Best Beach List For 2019 Is Out, Did Your Favorite Beach Make The Cut?

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Two Florida beaches made the cut in 2019's Top 10 Best Beach List.

Although they missed out on the top spot won by Kailua Beach Park in Hawaii, Grayton Beach State Park in the Florida panhandle ranked third on the list and Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater popped in at number seven.

Stephen Leatherman, a coastal scientist and professor at Florida International University, creates the list annually and has been doing so since 1991 under the nickname 'Dr. Beach.'

Leatherman ranks the beaches based on 50 criteria, including water quality, sand texture, and safety and management treatment of the beach. He not only relies on data gathered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to determine the grades for each beach, but he also visits every beach on his list.

If a beach wants to crack the list, they should make sure to be cigarette free because bonus points are awarded to beaches who prohibit smoking.

GALLERY: SEE THE TOP 10 BEST BEACHES

Leatherman retires former winners and posts them on his website.

Former winners in Florida include Siesta Beach in Sarasota, which won in 2017.

As to why Kailua Beach beat out the nine others in 2019, Leatherman said, "Kailua Beach Park is a beautiful white sand coral beach with generally small waves, making it great for swimming and kayaking. A very popular activity is to paddle a kayak to the nearby picturesque offshore islands; the larger one has a nice sandy beach. Kailua Beach Park has lifeguards on duty, free parking, bathrooms, beach showers, picnic tables, volleyball courts and kayak rentals among other amenities. It is only minutes away from the village of Kailua where there are good restaurants, or you can pick up plate lunches and drinks for the beach."

Better luck next year!