Here is the pattern that explains most of Florida. Dogs are welcome almost everywhere except on the sand, and a handful of towns have carved out exactly the stretches that work. A town is dog friendly for a vacation when it has a beach your dog can legally use, patios that take dogs, and things to do that are not the beach. This guide ranks four parts of the state for a dog in December, using the rules each beach’s own managing agency publishes. The ranking is our judgment; the rules are theirs.
The Short Answer
- Most of the coastline with the least fuss: St. Augustine and the rest of St. Johns County. Leashed dogs are allowed on the county’s beaches, including in the water.
- Most beach choices: the Volusia and Flagler coast around Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Flagler Beach.
- Best off-leash swimming: the Tampa Bay and Gulf side, at Fort De Soto, Davis Islands and Honeymoon Island near Dunedin, and Brohard Paw Park in Venice.
- Warmest water in December: the Keys, with one legal dog beach in Key West and a leash-only beach in Marathon.
December Water Temperatures
This matters more than most visitors expect. NOAA’s National Oceanographic Data Center average December sea temperatures, as compiled by CurrentResults, run from 58°F at Fernandina Beach and Pensacola and 60°F at St. Augustine Beach, through 64°F at St. Petersburg, 65°F at Daytona Beach and 68°F at Naples, to 72°F at Key West and 73°F at Miami Beach. If a swim is the point of the trip, South Florida and the Keys are clearly warmer than the northeast Atlantic or the Panhandle. If a long walk on the sand is the point, the cooler north is often a better December than a hot summer.
1. St. Augustine and St. Johns County
St. Johns County is the simplest rule in the state. Dogs are welcome on the county’s beaches, and the leash, which cannot exceed 12 feet, applies in the water too. That covers St. Augustine Beach and Pier Park, Vilano Beach, Surfside Park, North Beach and Butler Beach, all year, with no hour limit. Two things to know before you go:
- Anastasia State Park is the exception. The state park bars dogs from its beach, though its campground takes them. Check which beach you are standing on.
- Some beaches allow cars. At Vilano and North Beach, vehicles can be on the sand, so keep a puppy on the landward side and away from the driving lane.
Away from the beach, the historic district is the easiest place in Florida to take a dog. Tour operators there say in their listings that dogs are welcome, and our tours guide lists them. Start with our St. Augustine guide and the beaches and parks page.
2. Ormond Beach to Flagler Beach
Volusia County has four designated dog stretches, not two. Everywhere else on its beaches dogs are banned. The Ormond Beach dog beach runs from Rockefeller Drive to Milsap Road, and the Daytona Beach dog beach runs 1.7 miles from Williams Avenue to Seabreeze Boulevard. Both are leashed with a 6-foot maximum, in daylight, and visitors pay for beach parking. In New Smyrna Beach, Smyrna Dunes Park allows dogs on its inlet and river shore, never on the ocean beach. Our Daytona Beach guide has the details.
Flagler Beach is leashed and mostly open, with one block banned. City code makes it unlawful to bring a dog onto the Atlantic beach between North 10th Street and South 10th Street, which is the pier and lifeguarded core. Outside that block, leashed dogs are allowed, and Flagler County’s Varn Park, Jungle Hut Park and MalaCompra Park all take them. Walking north or south along the sand is how people cross into the banned zone without noticing, so look for the sign.
The state parks here are no help for a beach day: Washington Oaks, Gamble Rogers and North Peninsula all keep dogs off the sand, and Canaveral National Seashore allows them only on the lagoon side.
3. Tampa Bay and the Gulf Side
The Gulf coast is where the “dogs everywhere except the beach” pattern is strongest, and where the exceptions are best. These are the ones that work:
- Fort De Soto Park (Tierra Verde): a fenced off-leash Paw Playground and an off-leash dog beach of about a quarter mile, with water stations and rinse showers. It is the only Pinellas County park where dogs may be on the beach. Dogs must be licensed and vaccinated with tags displayed, and the park allows a maximum of three dogs per handler. Parking is $6 a vehicle.
- Honeymoon Island State Park (Dunedin): a pet beach at the southern tip, leashed on a 6-foot hand-held leash. It is the only dog beach in Florida’s state park system. The main swim beach and the sandspit are closed to pets, and neighboring Caladesi Island does not allow dogs at all, including on the ferry.
- Davis Islands Dog Beach (Tampa): off leash inside the fenced beach and dry run, with a paw wash. The water is shallow and murky bay water, not surf.
- Brohard Paw Park (Venice): off leash on the marked beach section under voice control, plus a fenced play yard. It is the only beach in all of Sarasota County where dogs are legal, so the long white beaches at Siesta Key, Lido and Venice Beach itself are closed to dogs.
Honest comparison: these are smaller than a normal beach, and the water is cooler in December than in the Keys. What the Gulf side offers instead is a long list of patios and dog-centered outings. See our guides for Clearwater and Dunedin, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota.
4. The Keys: Marathon and Key West
Marathon: Sombrero Beach is leashed, open from 7 a.m. to dusk with no permit, and the city says all Marathon parks are dog friendly except the Community Park ball fields. Nearby Curry Hammock State Park does not allow pets on the beach, in the water or in the bathhouses. Key West: city code bans animals from every public beach except one. Dog Beach on Vernon Street is off leash under adult control and is tiny, with no shade or restrooms. Higgs Beach has a fenced dog park instead. See our Key West guide. The Keys are the warmest December water in this guide, and the longest drive.
Can Your Dog Ride in the Golf Cart?
We looked, because it is a fair question and the answer is not obvious. No Florida law decides it. Whether a dog may be on a golf course, in a cart or in the clubhouse is the course’s own policy, so the answer is different at every course.
What we found is not encouraging. Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, in its own pet policy, says pets are not permitted at any of its golf courses, pools, tennis courts or food and beverage areas, and not allowed on its shuttles at any time. GolfPass reports that very few public courses in the United States let golfers bring their dogs, most likely because of liability fears and because many courses are not walkable. The dog-friendly courses it names are in Texas and the United Kingdom, none in Florida. The ones we saw advertised with pet-friendly carts were in California. We did not find a Florida course that publishes a welcome for dogs in carts, though we have not called every course.
A trained service dog is different. The ADA gives a service animal access that a pet does not have, and our service animal guide explains the rules.
How to Ask a Course
- Call the pro shop before you book a tee time, and ask three things: are pets allowed on the course, are they allowed in a cart, and does it matter whether the dog is on a leash.
- Ask whether the dog can stay in the cart while you play a hole. A course that allows a dog in the cart may still bar it from greens and tees.
- Plan for the heat and the time. A round runs for hours. Florida State Parks and Cornell’s veterinary college both say never to leave a dog in a parked car. Bring water and shade, or plan a dog sitter or daycare for the round.
If the course says no, play it without the dog and spend the rest of the day at the beach or on a patio. That is what the rest of Florida is good for.
Your Puppy in December
- Vaccinations first. The AAHA’s canine guidelines call for puppy vaccines every 2 to 4 weeks until a dog is past 16 weeks old, with 18 to 20 weeks preferred in high-risk areas. Veterinarians advise keeping puppies away from dog parks and other places where unvaccinated dogs gather until the series is complete. A 7-month-old on schedule should be done, but confirm it with your vet before a trip built around dog beaches and dog parks.
- Bring the rabies certificate. Florida requires rabies vaccination for dogs four months and older, and Florida’s agriculture department requires documentation of a current rabies vaccine for a dog entering the state if it is three months or older. Fort De Soto also wants licensed and vaccinated dogs with tags displayed.
- Leash length differs by place. St. Johns County allows up to 12 feet, Volusia and the state parks 6 feet. A short leash on a puppy is safer anywhere.
- Put identification on the collar for the trip. See our dog ID guide.
Restaurants, Boats and Places to Stay
Restaurants. Dogs on Florida patios are a permitted exception, not a right. State law lets a local government allow them, and each restaurant needs a permit, so ask whether the patio holds a dog permit and which door the dog uses. Our restaurant guides cover St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Dunedin and Sarasota.
Boat tours. Calling to ask is good advice: several operators say in their listings that dogs are welcome, and others do not mention it. We list the ones that do, with the conditions, in our tours guide.
Lodging. A hotel’s pet rules are weight, fee and number of pets, and rentals set their own. See our hotels guide, rentals guide and breed restrictions guide, and check the whole Florida dog beach directory before you choose a town.
Sources
- St. Johns County – Beach Rules (leash, 12-foot limit, in the water): sjcfl.us
- Volusia County – Dogs on the Beach: volusia.org
- City of Flagler Beach Code of Ordinances, Chapter 6 (North 10th to South 10th Street): library.municode.com
- Pinellas County – Dog Parks (Fort De Soto): pinellas.gov
- Florida State Parks – Honeymoon Island and Pet Policy: floridastateparks.org
- City of Tampa – Dog Parks (Davis Islands): tampa.gov
- City of Venice – Brohard Paw Park: venicegov.com
- City of Marathon – Parks and Beaches (Sombrero Beach): ci.marathon.fl.us
- City of Key West – Dog Beach: cityofkeywest-fl.gov
- CurrentResults – December sea temperatures in Florida (NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center data): currentresults.com
- Innisbrook Golf Resort – Pet-Friendly Accommodations (pets not permitted at golf courses or on shuttles): innisbrookgolfresort.com
- GolfPass – Should your course be dog friendly?: golfpass.com
- AAHA – Canine vaccination guidelines: aaha.org
- Florida Statutes 828.30 – rabies vaccination: leg.state.fl.us
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – bringing a dog to Florida: fdacs.gov
