Other than building great outdoor projects, here's what we love most about this city.

1. The 35-Foot Rule
Flagler Beach has a strict 35-foot building height restriction — which means no high-rise condos, no tower shadows on the beach, and no wall of development blocking the ocean view from A1A. One exception is the four-story Compass by Margaritaville hotel that opened in May 2025, but the rule has held for decades and it's the single biggest reason Flagler Beach still looks and feels the way it does. The residents who fought for that restriction knew exactly what they were protecting.

2. Coquina Sand That Glows Orange
Flagler Beach's six miles of sand look orange because of crushed coquina shells — the same ancient shell rock that shows up in the coquina formations at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park just north of town. It's one of those details that makes Flagler Beach visually distinct from every other Florida beach, and one of the first things residents mention when they describe why they chose this stretch of coast over everywhere else.

3. Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area
Named for Florida folk singer Gamble Rogers, who drowned in 1991 attempting to rescue a tourist caught in Flagler Beach's heavy surf and riptides — the park that bears his name sits right on the barrier island between the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway. Camping, swimming, paddleboarding, and sea turtle egg-laying in the golden-brown coquina sand are all part of what makes it one of the most distinctive state parks on Florida's east coast. It's the kind of place that earns its name.

4. Sea Turtle Season — Six Months a Year
Every year from May 1 through October 31, sea turtles nest on the Flagler beaches. Flagler's Turtle Patrol monitors nests all season. It's a genuine point of local pride — and one of the details that separates Flagler Beach from the more developed coastal towns to the south. Flagler Beach attracts more sea turtles than spring breakers. The residents who live here consider that a compliment.

5. Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
A few miles north of town, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is one of Florida's quiet masterpieces — formal gardens designed by the original landowners, native plant habitats, and a coquina rock shoreline unlike anything else on the Atlantic coast. The rocky beach at Washington Oaks is genuinely rare in Florida, where sandy shores are the rule and coquina formations are the exception. Flagler Beach residents have it as a regular afternoon destination. Most of the state has never heard of it.