pet - friendly beach near villages?
 

Is recommendation on or off leash?

Mom and I used to own a condo on St. Augustine Beach. Not too close to the Villages but we saw dogs on the beach all the time and they weren't on a leash. We sold our condo in 2013 so I don't know if anything has changed since then.

Thank you

There is a section of Flagler Beach which is pet friendly. (Just north of Ormond Beach on the East coast).

Thank you

Try these:

Dog Friendly Beaches in Dunedin, FL

I have seen them first hand on Honeymoon Island State Park

There is a pet friendly beach in the New Smyrna beach area.
Just google...new smyrna beach pet friendly.

New Smyrna dog beach is actually in the area of the inlet. Dogs must be on leash, so if you want them to swim much, bring a long line. Caution, though... the inlet area is where most of the New Smyrna shark incidents happen. Flagler is open ocean, and I think it's safer, although dogs also must be leashed. Also, no cars are allowed on Flagler; one less thing to worry about when watching Fido.

How Pet-Friendly is St. Augustine? | Visit St. Augustine

This website says that dogs must always be on a leash at St. Augustine. On the beautiful beach at Anastasia State Park, dogs are not allowed at all.