St. George Island Webcam – See Florida’s Forgotten Coast

The St. George Island Webcam looks south from the Cape St. George Lighthouse, near the middle of a barrier island on Florida’s Forgotten Coast. Two open sided beach pavilions sit in the dunes below the tower, with a timber boardwalk running between them and out onto the sand. Past the sea oats the beach opens up, and the Gulf of Mexico fills the top half of the frame all the way to the horizon. The high angle means the whole strip is usually in shot at once: the warning flag on the dune crossing, the line of the surf, and whatever weather is stacking up offshore. Mornings can start with a low cloud bank sitting out over the water, and summer afternoons are the opposite, bright sand under a building sky.

About St. George Island

St. George Island is a barrier island in Franklin County, 45 kilometers (28 miles) long and about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) across at its widest point. It separates Apalachicola Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, and since 1954 a dredged channel called Bob Sikes Cut has cut the western end away from the rest. The permanent population was 990 at the 2020 census, which is part of why the sand in frame stays as empty as it does outside the summer weeks. The only road on is the St. George Island Bridge, a 6.4 kilometer (4 mile) crossing from Eastpoint on the mainland.

The tower the camera is mounted on has a complicated history. Three lighthouses have stood at Cape St. George: the first in 1833, a replacement in 1848, and the present 23 meter (77 foot) brick tower in 1852. Erosion eventually left it standing in the surf, and in October 2005 it toppled into the Gulf. About 24,000 of its roughly 160,000 original bricks were recovered from the water and worked back into the rebuild, which was raised on safer ground in the center of the island and opened to the public in December 2008.

Inside, 92 wooden spiral stairs and an eight rung metal ladder lead up to the gallery. The light shows a flashing white characteristic every six seconds, and the tower’s listed optic is a third order Fresnel lens. A replica keeper’s house beside it holds the Lighthouse Museum and a gift shop, and the St. George Lighthouse Association looks after the site.

Weather and Climate on St. George Island

Summer is the long season here. July is the warmest month, with average highs around 33 C (91 F), and the summer months as a group average about 27 C (81 F). Afternoons in June, July and August often build a thunderstorm inland that then drifts out over the bay, so the water in frame can turn from flat and pale to a dark wall of cloud inside an hour. This is also the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November, and the island sits fully exposed on the Gulf side of the Panhandle.

Winter is mild rather than cold. January is the coolest month, averaging highs near 18 C (64 F), with the winter months averaging about 14 C (57 F). Fronts dropping in from the northwest push the Gulf gray and choppy for a day or two at a time, then leave the clearest light of the year behind them. Spring and fall are the steadier stretches, with warm water, long empty sand and the low morning cloud that often sits on the horizon before it lifts.

Things to Do Near St. George Island

The Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park takes up the eastern 14 kilometers (9 miles) of the island, which is why the beach stays undeveloped east of town. Four of those nine miles run alongside the main park drive, and the other five can only be reached on foot. The park also has about 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) of nature trails and roughly 19 kilometers (12 miles) of estuary shoreline on the Apalachicola Bay side, where the water is shallow and better suited to paddling than the Gulf beach is.

Climbing the tower the camera sits on is the obvious stop, since the view from the gallery is the same one the camera has, and the museum and gift shop are at the base. Across the bridge, Eastpoint and Apalachicola are the working towns behind the local oyster industry, and Apalachicola Bay oysters are what a lot of people drive down here for once they have had enough of the beach. Carrabelle sits further east along the coast if you want a second harbour town in the same day.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

If the St. George Island Webcam has you looking for more Gulf coast and barrier island views, these are the closest matches on the site.

• Panama City Beach Webcam
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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is St. George Island located?

It is a barrier island in Franklin County, in the Florida Panhandle, separating Apalachicola Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. The mainland town of Eastpoint is at the far end of the 6.4 kilometer (4 mile) bridge, and Apalachicola is a short drive west of that.

What can you see on the St. George Island Webcam?

The camera looks south from the Cape St. George Lighthouse over two beach pavilions, the boardwalk that runs between them through the dunes, the white sand beyond, and the open Gulf of Mexico to the horizon.

What is the weather like on St. George Island?

Hot and humid in summer, with July highs averaging about 33 C (91 F) and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are mild, with January highs near 18 C (64 F).

How tall is the Cape St. George Lighthouse?

The brick tower stands 23 meters (77 feet), and there are 92 wooden spiral stairs plus an eight rung metal ladder to reach the gallery at the top.

Why was the St. George Island lighthouse rebuilt?

Erosion undercut the 1852 tower until it was standing in the surf, and it collapsed into the Gulf in October 2005. It was rebuilt inland at the center of the island using about 24,000 of its salvaged original bricks and reopened in December 2008.

How do you get to St. George Island?

By car, over the St. George Island Bridge from Eastpoint, a crossing of 6.4 kilometers (4 miles). There is no ferry and no airport on the island.

Is there a state park on St. George Island?

Yes. The Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park covers the eastern 14 kilometers (9 miles) of the island, with 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) of nature trails and about 19 kilometers (12 miles) of shoreline along Apalachicola Bay.

When is the best time to visit St. George Island?

Spring and fall give warm water without the peak summer crowds or the heaviest storm risk, since the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November.

Source: SGI Lighthouse Cam