The first boats of summer
Steinhatchee is a small community in southern Taylor County, on the stretch of Gulf coast Floridians call the Big Bend. It is a scallop town. Each June, families from across the state trailer their boats down for the opening of the bay scallop season, and the grass flats offshore fill with dive flags.
The timing is what sets it apart. The FWC splits the Gulf coast into scallop zones, and the one that includes Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach runs from Rock Island near the Fenholloway River south to the mouth of the Suwannee. It opens June 15, ahead of every other zone, and closes on Labor Day, which fell on September 7 in 2026. Most of the coast waits until July 1.
The early weeks come with a lower limit. From June 15 to 30 the FWC allows 1 gallon of whole scallops in the shell or one cup of meat per person, and 5 gallons whole per boat. From July 1 to Labor Day it rises to 2 gallons whole or a pint of meat per person, and 10 gallons per boat. There is no size limit, harvest is by hand or dip net only, and you need a Florida saltwater fishing license unless you are exempt.
UF/IFAS Extension and Florida Sea Grant publish a scalloping guide for Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach, with a map of the boat ramps and marinas in southern Taylor County. Their newer statewide guide asks a favor of everyone who comes: keep only the bigger scallops, and be patient with towns that are still rebuilding.
Pick the big ones
Bay scallops live only about 18 months, according to UF/IFAS, and Gulf populations take hits from overharvest, seagrass loss, red tide and heavy freshwater runoff after storms. The common advice is to keep shells wider than 1.5 inches. The quick test is a soda can: if the shell covers the bottom of the can, keep it. Bigger scallops have had a chance to spawn, and they give you more meat for your shucking.
The guide also asks scallopers to keep one person on the boat as a lookout, fly a divers down flag and stay within 300 feet of it, avoid running over seagrass, and never dump shells in canals, marinas or on boat ramps. Keep the meat on ice from the moment it is shucked.
That request about patience is not abstract here. Taylor County Commissioner Michael Newman told WCTV the area was hit by three storms in 13 months: Idalia, then Debby, then Helene. Roy's Restaurant, a waterfront fixture, was wiped out by Helene and has been cooking from a food truck while it plans a new building. Spending a scallop weekend in town, and eating out while you are there, helps.
