When I first visited this beach, it seemed okay, but after time it really grew on me. Floridana Beach is at the southern end of the long stretch of sand mapped as all Melbourne Beach - From the Melbourne Causeway (Hwy 192) going south to the Sebastian Inlet bridge, a run of about 20 miles of beach.
My initial impression of the beach was underwhelming - there is limited foliage and hardly any trees, an unusual mix of housing types and quality that come right up to the sand, the water tends to be a grayish color and since it is an Atlantic Beach there is a fair amount of debris and trash.
Yet, after spending a number of weeks at Floridana Beach, along with seeing the shoreline up to the Melbourne Causeway, I really began to enjoy my experience.
The sand is very soft and a silvery color. There is an abundance of shells, that can run down the beach in long parallel lines as a result of the tide leaving - but just when you think there are too many shells stacking up on the beach, a big swell will come in and wipe the beach clean. The water is pleasantly warm and it is a soft sand bottom (once you get past the first few feet of the shore, where shells sometime pile up).
Two things that I found to be very interesting; One, the beach and water change daily - it is rare that the beach and water look the same for two days in a row; it always has variations in shells, softness of the sand, color of the water, etc. Secondly, the abundance of wildlife in and about the shore.
Of course there are the usual sand crabs and seagulls, but I was not expecting to see flamingos cruising over head, enormous pelicans diving for fish while scooting within inches of the water, manatees moving along the shore, sport fish (tuna, mackerel, jacks) feeding on the bait fish near the waters edge, dolphins playing in the waves - it was always cool to see something each day.
With the beach being an Atlantic Beach, the water can be a bit unpredictable. I don't know how comfortable I would be with young kids in the water by themselves. On days when the wind is down and there is no swell, it is very safe, but on days with waves and winds, you should be careful as there are no lifeguards on the Floridana Beach. Of course, 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!
Since Floridana Beach is at the southern end of Melbourne Beach, it is away from any and all hotels, thus away from people. There were many days, when we could only see one other person on the beach and they were so far away you could only see a body. Even on the Memorial Day Holiday, we could only see 20 people the length of the shore in each direction!!!
If you want to stay this far south in Melbourne Beach, then you need to rent one of the hundreds of private vacation rentals available on the beach or on the bay (just across Hwy A1A, on the Indian River) - just use the Internet and search south Melbourne Beach or use of the rental agencies that will be listed in the search. The selection is huge and the rents are very reasonable, because there are a ton of houses for sale - after the last hurricane went through, so many folks bailed out of the area, that they are just trying to sell their houses or pay the mortgage by renting them out!
For hotels, you need to look up near Hwy 192 and north of the Melbourne Beach Causeway. Here you can find all the chain hotels, but you will also find all the tourist stuff - bikini shops, souvenir stores, fast food restaurants - basically the tacky Florida stuff you can find just about anywhere.
Now, if you are staying up near Melbourne Beach proper and want to get away from some of the crowds, just start driving south. The county has done a fantastic job of providing numerous small beach parks, with showers, covered picnic areas and ample parking about every three miles all the way down to the Sebastian Inlet Park. Also, on a rainy day, go visit the Melbourne Beach Library, which is brand new and located about 3 miles south of the Causeway. It has free Internet access, is very open and has a nice children's section!
If you can stay in Floridana Beach, there is a new Publix supermarket just 10 minutes away and 2 golf courses that are great. Since it is such a residential area, there are limited restaurant options. The best bet is just to buy up some groceries and hang out at the beach.
All and all, I was pleasantly surprised with Floridana Beach/south Melbourne Beach - it was nice sand, an ever changing sea shore and it is tucked nicely between some of the tacky Daytona Beach influences and the snobby Palm Beach scene.
