Three Florida beaches made it into a list of America's top 10 beaches. The list was released today by Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a "Dr. Beach."

Leatherman has been producing his list since 1991 and for the first time, a beach in North Carolina took top honors. It's a remote beach called Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach.

The beaches in Florida that are in the top 10 are number two Caladesi Island State Park, in Clearwater; number nine, Lighthouse Point Park in Daytona Beach and number ten, Siesta Beach in Sarasota.

Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach in North Carolina is first beach not in Florida or Hawaii to earn the top spot in the annual ranking of the nation's top ten spots on the shore. The beaches are ranked on 50 criteria, considering only swimming beaches and such factors as lifeguards and color of the sand.

1. Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks, N.C.
2. Caladesi Island State Park, Clearwater, Fla.
3. Coopers Beach, Southampton, N.Y.
4. Hanalei Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
5. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
6. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
7. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
8. Coronado Beach, San Diego, Calif.
9. Lighthouse Point Park, Daytona Beach, Fla.
10. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Fla.