Any difference in beaches from Gulf Shores to Pensacola?

We just came back at end of October from two week vacation at Topsail State Park-Santa Rosa Beach. While there we witnessed blackish sand on the beach where the inland lakes broke thru the dunes and washed brackish over flow water onto the beach during the April floods. You won't experience the white pristine beach there until the sand dunes are built up to prevent lake overflow onto the beach and possibly removal and replacement of existing beach sand near board walk area.