Florida and Paddle Boarding are made for each other. With Pristine beaches, lagoons and small lakes, Florida gives you all the liquidy terrain that you need to get out there and explore your surroundings.
Paddle Boarding is one of the best ways to spend time outside and get fresh air. There are a plethora of physical and mental benefits that go along with paddle boarding such as the following
-The Gentle Rocking of the waves and being outside gives off meditative benefits
-You increase your Vitamin D intake significantly
-Consistent Paddle Boarding burns about 350 + Calories
-Consistent Paddle Boarding can aid in weight loss
-Paddle Boarding helps increase your balance
-It reduces stress
-Being out on the water is fun!
With all of these benefits how can you not get out there and explore the best of what Florida has to offer? Here is a list of the Best paddle boarding locations located in the Florida state.
#1 The Florida Keys
With beautiful picturesque scenery and plentiful marine life the Florida Keys are your go to stop for paddle boarding in Florida. Some marine life you can see include sea turtles dolphins and abundant life around the coral reefs. There are also lots of mangroves to get out and see which gives you a mixture of forest life thriving with ocean life. There are also many paddle board rentals and guided tours all along the keys that insure you do not miss anything!
#2 Tampa Bay
With over 200 species of fish and birds surrounding the area Tampa Bay is a must for nature lovers out there. You can also find manatees, dolphins any many other forms of marine life that call Tampa Bay Home. Tampa is unique because it has fresh water from the surrounding Hillsborough River, the Alafia, Manatee and Little Manatee being poured into the ocean to give you the best of both worlds. With lots of paddle board rental shops and fishing charters it’s hard not to consider Tampa Bay as a close 2nd.
#3 Santa Rosa Beach
If you like pristine white sand beaches Santa Rosa beach is for you. Located West of Panama City, Santa Rosa Beach features miles of coastline overlooking gorgeous waterfront properties along it’s 25 plus mile shoreline. With a few different rental spots to choose from you can even choose to do some Yoga Paddle Boarding should you be up for the challenge. Some highlighted areas to visit are Santa Rosa Sound, Okaloosa Island and the Hogtown Bayou.
#4 Miami Beach
This one is kind of a given but Miami Beach is the place to be if you want to be close to all kinds of different activities after your paddling adventure. As you paddle along you get to see the stunning Miami Skyline mixed with the long stretches of beaches that surrounds it. You can paddle through a wide variety of different terrains such as South Beach, the historic Biscayne Bay and Surfside beach. The best part is Miami is central to many different things that should crave your appetite no matter who you are.
#5 Venice Beach, Sarasota
If you are a beginner paddle boarder you may want to hit up Venice Beach first. It is a fantastic place to learn as you can be taught by guides who think of paddle boarding as a way of life. The water is also very calm here which makes it an ideal learning platform to further develop your future SUP skills. Venice Beach also offers snorkeling adventures where you can pick up shark teeth and see a plethora of marine life including over 10 species of dolphin, manatees and even alligators. Some other highlights include boardwalks, nice white beaches and mangroves as you move further along towards Caspersen Beach Park.
These are just a small sample size of places to explore while paddle boarding beautiful Florida. The best part about Paddle Boarding in Florida is that you never know what you will see next!
]]>This was supposed to be the night’s entertainment, but speaking with reporters on Friday, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber had a less flattering take on the spectacle.
“Insane stupidity,” he said.
If you think you have seen it all, well we have not. What were they thinking?
Partygoers at Mokai Lounge in South Beach saw a go-go dancer wearing black lingerie attempting to ride a white horse through the crowd. The woman fell down as a man struggled to control the panicked horse.
“Disgusting. No words to describe what I feel when I watch this,” Sofia Jaramillo wrote on Instagram. “I hope they get what they deserve.”
City officials revoked Mokai’s business license Friday. Miami-Dade police officers tracked the white horse and a veterinarian determined the animal was unharmed and safe at a private farm. The dancer wasn’t injured.
Miami Beach city manager issued the order to revoke Mokai Lounge’s Business Tax Receipt and Certificate of Use.
“I was disgusted and offended that any legitimate businessperson would think this was an appropriate action to take,” Morales said.
“I fully support the immediate actions taken by the City Manager and his staff to ensure that this is remedied quickly,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said.
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When Fontainebleau housekeeper Odelie Paret clocked out of her 14-room-a-day cleaning shift Feb. 6, her day took a turn for the extraordinary.
A mysterious woman who had called the previous day had arranged for her to have a massage at the Fontainebleau’s four-star spa, Lapis, and dinner at steakhouse StripSteak by Michael Mina.
She was going to get a surprise of a lifetime. And why not?
After dinner, a car was waiting to take Paret and a friend to Brickell City Centre, where they waited until the shopping center closed.
It was there, standing before Saks Fifth Avenue, that a hand touched her shoulder.
It belonged to Drake.
I ALWAYS JUST SAW HIM ON THE TV. SO I SAID, ‘DRAKE!’ IT MADE ME HAPPY…I THANK HIM SO MUCH.
You never know what people read and how it will touch a person.
The hip-hop star was inspired by a Miami Herald story detailing the plight of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach housekeepe. Paret said she was shocked to see him.
Paret said Drake and Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who grew up in Miami and attended Miami Norland High School, arranged for a shopping spree for her and two other local women.
In a video from Drake’s Snapchat, he can be seen walking around Saks with Brown saying, “We took the ladies out for a nice little shopping spree… Giving back.”
The giving was only the beginning.
The excursion was one in a string of surprise good deeds by the Toronto native in South Florida in the past week.
In Miami, he donated $25,000 to Miami Senior High School and pledged to buy everyone uniforms designed by his clothing label. He gave University of Miami student Destiny James a $50,000 scholarship.
And homeless shelter Lotus Village in Overtown got a $50,000 check, plus $150 Target gift cards for all 130 women who live there, plus toys and games for all 140 kids.
Drake reflected on the giving spree on Instagram, writing on Thursday: “Last 3 days were the best I have had in a very long time…there’s nothing like seeing people experience a joyful moment when you can tell they need it the most.”
So what does one buy when Drake is paying?
When someone is giving, how do you react?
Paret said she was “frozen” when she was told she had 45 minutes and no dollar limit on what she wanted to buy at Saks.
She went for the clothes section first, but couldn’t find anything in her size. Then she tried the shoes. Heels wouldn’t work — she needs to be comfortable, she said. Nor would a pair of floral sandals.
Work was on her mind when she arrived from her whirlwind night with Drake, she said.
It was 1:30 a.m. when she returned to Opa-locka, and she’d have three hours before she would have to be up to catch the bus again.
Very inspiring story of good in the world!
]]>Be warned and you will be fine.
You do not want to go near these creatures.
“Pretty blue balloons with nasty stinging tentacles have washed up on South Florida’s beaches, with the arrival of Portuguese man-of-war season.
Lifeguard stands across the region are flying purple sea pest flags, as ocean winds blow these unwelcome visitors toward shore. On Sunday alone, lifeguards in Hollywood treated 204 people for stings.
Winter is the season for their arrival, and no one is claiming that the numbers are unusual for this time of year.
“They’re washing up on the beach, but nothing crazy,” said Bob Lemons, spokesman for Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services.
A smart tourist is a safe tourist
The majority of victims appear to be tourists, said Sandra King, spokeswoman for Pompano Beach. On Friday, for example, a child from out-of-town picked one up and popped the balloon, ending up with severe stings.
“Within 15 minutes, my son got hit on legs with the tentacles of a small blue meanie, then my husband’s feet,” she said in an email. “My dog came out of the water yelping. He immediately started licking his underside. He was also very curious about the huge ones on shore, and we had to keep pulling him away from them since we know you can still get stung.”
So what do you do? Here is some advice.
She rinsed off the stings and gave everyone ice in the car.
“Once home, our dog jumped into the cold water of our pool and sat on the top step for a long time,” she said. “I believe the cold water made the stings feel better.”
They’ve been common on the beach since the winds shifted inland about a week ago.
Like related species such as jellyfish, corals and sea anemones, Portuguese men-of-war use tentacles with stinging capsules to capture prey, ranging from plankton to small fish. They typically live in the Gulf Stream and don’t want to come near shore any more than we want them there, but they drift at the mercy of wind-driven ocean currents.
Although the stings are rarely dangerous, they can be extremely painful.
Lifeguards typically provide pain medication at the scene. The danger comes if a victim has an allergic reaction, with those allergic to bee stings usually at risk of an allergic reaction to a Portuguese man-of-war.
The professional advice to do if you get stung and how NOT to get stung!
— Stay clear of them. Their tentacles can extend up to 30 feet. Remember, a beached man-of-war can still sting.
— Contact a lifeguard.
— Rinse the affected area with seawater to remove any stinging barbs.
–Don’t try to remove the tentacle with your bare hands. Use a towel and gently unwrap it away from your skin,
— Treat with vinegar or hot water, not cold water. Later, use ice to ease the pain.
— Use Benadryl oral or topical cream
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