Shark Attack Capitals of Florida

Three people were attacked by sharks in two separate (but equally nightmarish) incidents at beaches in northwest Florida this past weekend.

On Friday afternoon, a 45-year-old woman was swimming near a sandbar in Walton County when she was bitten by a shark. She was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition and had part of her left arm amputated. Less than 90 minutes later – and about four miles away at a neighboring beach – two teenagers visiting from Alabama were swimming when they, too, were bitten by a shark. The 15-year-old and 17-year-old were brought to local hospitals, with one suffering “significant injuries” and the other with “flesh wounds” to her foot.

According to the local sheriff’s office, prior to the incidents last week, the county’s most recent shark attack was in 2021. The last shark-related fatality in North Florida took place in 2005 in Walton County.

“This is an anomaly, everything from it being three victims, to where it’s at,” Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. said. “We know that we share the water with sharks. As tragic as this is, we know that there are always sharks in the water.”

So, how common are shark attacks in Florida, known as the “shark-attack capital of the world”? And where do they happen most often?

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, here’s a list of Florida counties with the most unprovoked shark attacks since the 1880s:

Volusia County: 351

Brevard County: 158

Palm Beach County: 83

Duval County: 46

St. Johns County: 45

Martin County: 41

St. Lucie County: 39

Indian River County: 22

Monroe County: 21

Miami-Dade County: 20

Broward County: 16

Pinellas County: 15

Bay County: 9

Collier County: 8

Lee County: 8

Nassau County: 8

Sarasota County: 7

Escambia County: 7

Flagler County: 6

Manatee County: 5

Okaloosa County: 4

Gulf County: 2

Franklin County: 2

Walton County: 1

Charlotte County: 1

Santa Rosa County: 1