Flagler Beach sits about 30 miles south of St. Augustine on Florida's northeast coast, and it offers something increasingly rare on the Atlantic shore: a small, unhurried beach town that has resisted the overdevelopment that has claimed so much of Florida's coastline. Where many beach communities have given way to high-rises and chain restaurants, Flagler Beach remains a place of low-rise buildings, local diners, a classic fishing pier, and wide stretches of uncrowded sand. The Flagler Beach Pier is the town's centerpiece - a wooden fishing pier extending into the Atlantic where locals and visitors fish year-round for pompano, whiting, redfish, bluefish, and whatever else the season brings. The pier has a tackle shop, bait, and the kind of unhurried atmosphere that Florida beach towns once had everywhere. Watching the pelicans work the water alongside serious anglers while the beach stretches away in both directions is a pleasantly timeless experience. The beach itself runs for miles in both directions from the pier, backed by low dunes and the occasional oceanfront home rather than the wall of condominiums that characterizes most developed Florida beaches. A1A runs directly alongside the beach through Flagler Beach - close enough that you can park, walk across the road, and be in the surf in seconds. The relaxed parking situation alone makes Flagler Beach a relief compared to the organized chaos of more popular beach destinations. The town has a handful of excellent local