Lido Beach

Lido Beach is the main public beach on Lido Key, with year-round Sarasota County lifeguards, a pavilion with food and a public pool at the park for days when the Gulf is too rough. Swim parallel to shore inside the guarded area. Before you go, check the flags and visitbeaches.org, where lifeguards and Mote Marine staff update conditions twice a day.

Directions

Photo: Bradley Buhro from Middletown, IN, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 67/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 24°C, wind 26 km/h, waves 0.2 m, UV 2. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Getting in: 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Sarasota (Lido Key); park open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The beach is owned by the City of Sarasota: the county maintains the open beach and dune, the city runs the facilities, pool and parking areas.
Parking & transport: On-site parking areas run by the City of Sarasota.
Lifeguards: One of six Sarasota County Fire Department lifeguarded beaches; towers staffed year-round, daily 10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
Water quality: Florida Department of Health Healthy Beaches Program samples the 'Lido Casino Beach' site for enterococci bacteria every 1–2 weeks depending on county (Good 0–35, Moderate 36–70, Poor 71+ per 100 mL); an advisory is issued when a sample and its resample both exceed 70.
Season: Year-round, with lifeguards on duty every day.
Watch for: Rip currents can form along Sarasota County beaches; check the lifeguard flags
Red tide (Karenia brevis): FWC says blooms occur in the Gulf almost every year, generally in late summer or early fall, most often between Clearwater and Sanibel Island
Facilities: Restrooms · Concession/restaurant · Picnic shelter/pavilion · Public pool