South Lido Beach

Sarasota, Florida
Managed by The Swim Guide - Florida

Photo by Yiheng Hao

At the southern tip of Lido Key, Ben Franklin Blvd dead ends into the Ted Sperling Park. This land is part of a series of ever shifting barrier islands. In the early 1900s immegrants settled on the land and aquired it under the Homestead Act. In the 1920s this land was purchased by John Ringling and he planned to develop the land by dredging and filling the islands. In 1926, the great Florida Land Bust brought and end to his development plans but they kept the name "Lido", meaning beach in Italian, that Ringling had given the islands. In the 1960s environmentalists and developers clashed over what to do with the land. Ted Sperling, who was a county comissioner and part of the Save Our Bays movement, apposed the dredging and filling of beaches because of the damage it causes to marine and coastal ecosystems. A few years later, Florida outlawed dredge and fill and the park has been preserved for the public to enjoy.

Park visitors can enjoy the beach as it is the intersection of four major waterways: Gulf of Mexico, Big Pass, Sarasota Bay and Brushy Bayou. The park has birding opportunities, kayaking, and nature trails. Visitors will be able to see a wide array of wildlife and native plants including sea birds, dolphins, manatees, crabs, mangroves, sea grass, and game fish.

The designated swimming area is guarded and restrooms, horse shoe court, picnic areas, playgrounds, and volleyball courts are available to visitors.

WATER QUALITY
  • Meets water quality standards
  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on February 18th, 2019. The Swim Guide - Florida updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
28°C
Cloudy with a few clear breaks
  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

South Lido Beach is sampled weekly from January 1st to December 31st

SOURCE INFORMATION

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Sarasota County beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program.

Monitoring results are collected weekly on Mondays and results are posted to the Florida Healthy beaches website on Wednesday. Samples are collected year round, however the peak season is from March to November. Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday.
The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;
Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;
Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.
Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.
A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

South Lido Beach

Sarasota, Florida
Managed by The Swim Guide - Florida
WATER QUALITY
  • Meets water quality standards
  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on February 18th, 2019. The Swim Guide - Florida updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
28°C
Cloudy with a few clear breaks

Photo by Yiheng Hao

At the southern tip of Lido Key, Ben Franklin Blvd dead ends into the Ted Sperling Park. This land is part of a series of ever shifting barrier islands. In the early 1900s immegrants settled on the land and aquired it under the Homestead Act. In the 1920s this land was purchased by John Ringling and he planned to develop the land by dredging and filling the islands. In 1926, the great Florida Land Bust brought and end to his development plans but they kept the name "Lido", meaning beach in Italian, that Ringling had given the islands. In the 1960s environmentalists and developers clashed over what to do with the land. Ted Sperling, who was a county comissioner and part of the Save Our Bays movement, apposed the dredging and filling of beaches because of the damage it causes to marine and coastal ecosystems. A few years later, Florida outlawed dredge and fill and the park has been preserved for the public to enjoy.

Park visitors can enjoy the beach as it is the intersection of four major waterways: Gulf of Mexico, Big Pass, Sarasota Bay and Brushy Bayou. The park has birding opportunities, kayaking, and nature trails. Visitors will be able to see a wide array of wildlife and native plants including sea birds, dolphins, manatees, crabs, mangroves, sea grass, and game fish.

The designated swimming area is guarded and restrooms, horse shoe court, picnic areas, playgrounds, and volleyball courts are available to visitors.

  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

South Lido Beach is sampled weekly from January 1st to December 31st

SOURCE INFORMATION

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Sarasota County beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program.

Monitoring results are collected weekly on Mondays and results are posted to the Florida Healthy beaches website on Wednesday. Samples are collected year round, however the peak season is from March to November. Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday.
The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;
Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;
Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.
Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.
A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH



Swim Guide
is supported by
* The RBC Foundation

Swim Guide shares the best information we have at the moment you ask for it. Always obey signs at the beach or advisories from official government agencies. Stay alert and check for other swimming hazards such as dangerous currents and tides. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe.

Swim Guide, "Swim Drink Fish icons," and associated trademarks are owned by SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA.| See Legal.

© SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA, 2011 - 2019