We don't understand the rating as America's No1. OK, it is safe for kids with no obvious rips, and generally clean, but it lacks any shade, is almost always heaving with people, and every time we have been, it smells really bad, like foul water has leaked somewhere. There is also a large area of compacted sand at the top of the beach where stagnant water has dried out, although there is a wide section of the famous powdery sand. There are better beaches in the Sarasota area, but public access to them is limited.