Sargassum at Cape Florida (Bill Baggs): today's reading on Key Biscayne
First bulletin for this beach lands with tomorrow morning’s update.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park closes the southern tip of Key Biscayne, in Miami-Dade County, around the Cape Florida lighthouse that has marked the northern entrance to Biscayne Bay since the nineteenth century. The park's beach opens onto the Atlantic.
This page reports sargassum at Cape Florida as it stands today: a rating from 0 to 5, a map placing the park among the other Miami-Dade beaches, and the background you need to read that number properly. Everything is refreshed early each morning, in time to shape the day's plan rather than confirm it afterwards.
Cape Florida (Bill Baggs) on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
The park's shoreline sits at an east-southeast angle and bends around the cape, turning gradually west before giving way to the channel into Biscayne Bay. That curve matters. Under a straight easterly flow the whole ocean front takes the drift; when the wind swings southeast, the lower end near the lighthouse collects more of it while the northern stretch sits slightly out of line.
Key Biscayne is the last barrier island before the Keys begin further south, so nothing intercepts the drift upstream: rafts pushed north by the Florida Current arrive straight at the cape. The park is protected state land, backed by dune and coastal vegetation rather than buildings, which means what you find along the waterline follows the wind and the tide of the moment.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cape more exposed than northern Key Biscayne?
It stands at the island's southern tip, angled east-southeast with open water in front, so ocean drift arrives unfiltered. The bend of the cape then spreads deposits differently depending on whether the wind blows east or southeast.
How do I check the beach before heading out?
Pull up the Cape Florida entry on the FanGass map before you set out: a score from 0 to 5 renewed each morning, listed next to the other beaches of the Miami area for comparison.
Does the tide through Cape Florida Channel matter?
It can. Tidal flow in and out of the channel sometimes carries floating weed toward the bay and sometimes presses it against the sand, which is why the point and the northern end can differ on the same day.
How does it compare with Crandon Park?
Crandon lies further north on a straight, due-east front with a very gentle slope. Cape Florida sits at the corner of the island, where the coast turns toward the bay, so its southern end shifts exposure with the wind.