Delray Beach was just awarded for the second year in a row, one of only two BLUE FLAG designations in the continental United States. Join the City of Delray Beach for a special flag raising ceremony this Friday.
The Blue Flag international jury has awarded the Delray Beach Municipal Beach between Casuarina Road and Laing Street the coveted, international designation for meeting a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.
Blue Flag Award Flag Raising Ceremony
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Wednesday, May 8th, 2023
Atlantic Avenue and A1A, flagpole
Westward Beach in California is the other Blue Flag USA program recipient in the continental United States. The international award program has existed for 36 years and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Pilot programs in the continental United States began in 2021, with the first beaches awarded in 2023, due to the relentless efforts of the national jury, recipients, and the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA).
“Our sites have worked hard for several months to implement and maintain more than 30 diverse criteria to achieve award status. Their staff and communities can raise their flags with pride for going above and beyond U.S. standards to receive international recognition for sustainable management practices,” said Annie Mercer, program coordinator for the ASBPA.
Sites in the Blue Flag USA program participate in four stages of engagement between the host location and the USA program: interest, candidate, applicant, and award. Applications for the Blue Flag USA program open in September and close in December, however participants work diligently prior to and during submission, providing water quality sample history, coordinating activities, and much more. Finally, awards are issued to sites by the international jury each year and audited by staff. Delray Beach applied in 2022 and was announced as an awarded site this week. Learn more about the program at blueflag.us
