Over the years I've used:
Heavy leather hiking boots-no wet foot-awful
LL Bean Maine Guide boots-ok for wet footing but poor traction on wet surfaces.
Trail running shoes-lightweight, great traction and drainage but they allowed alot of sand and gravel to enter.
Lightweight ankle height hikers with extra drainage holes-great traction and support but they still allowed too much sand and gravel inside.
Still looking for the perfect solution.

I picked up the old style of patagonia 'marlwalkers' - used them a couple of times last year and I'm very happy with them.  They're entirely synthetic, have a nice lug sole, which flexes enough, but won't let you feel every pebble. They've got drains and screens, and lace up above the ankle. They're built for wading on coral, so they're pretty tough all around. 

Patagonia has 've since re-designed them, and they're now more like a low hiking boot, and the sole isn't the same, so they're probably not a great choice.

The cabela's backcountry wading boot looks like it'd work for wet-footing.  I looked at a pair (briefly) last time I wandered thru Cabelas, and they seemed fairly light but tough enough. They're not horribly expensive either. You'd probably need some decent insoles, and fitting might be an adventure, since they're sized for wearing over stocking foot waders.

Hi my name is C-Dub and I have weak ankles.

Actually just one, technically it is called subluxing peroneal tendons, but practically it is just the muscles in my right ankle not catching to straighten the ankle back out until the bottom of my foot it facing sideways.  My ankle problem was generated by two injuries, first was breaking my leg by bending the foot too far backwards during a soccer game, the second was stupidly playing basketball in running shoes.  I came down with a rebound on my brother's foot and the first part of my body to hit the ground was the outside/bottom of my ankle bone (lateral malleolus). 

My solution has been to wear mid/low-grade hiking boots.  I don't think high end boots are made to be wet-footed in.  I think right now I have a $50 pair of High-Tecs.  I have to replace them about every 2 or 3 years so the tread is always pretty fresh and "grippy".  They are mostly synthetic so they dry well in an late afternoon/evening in the sun/wind.  It has been my experience that having a removable insole really helps drying time.  When I went over Memorial day a few years ago I wore neoprene socks underneath to deal with 50 degree water.  The socks I used had gaiters sown in so they kept all of the rocks and sand out of my boots, cabelas sells them under their name.

CW

Ah, C-dub, ya beat me to a good line. 
Hi, my name is Ghost Paddler and I have weak ankles.  Trashed from playing too much (aw, what am I saying, you can never play too much) Ultimate.
Even with my "weak" ankles, my chotas are for the colder beginning and end of the season. Other than that, I'm a sandle guy.  I've gone through several pairs of tevas in the past 12 or 13 years and generally liked them.  When my last pair wore, I tried a pair of keens.  Put a pair through heavy usage last year and found the stitching blowing out--took them back to REI and got a pair of chacos, which I love--though they haven't faced a full season of use, yet.  The only downside to the chacos is weight, they are considerably heavier than tevas.  When it's not  too frigid, there is nothing like the feeling of feet in the water (the colder water keeps the swelling down in the ankles, too).
With all that in mind, when I go with my spring voyageur buddies, we usually carry one or two ankle aircasts, just in case of a sprain. 

i have some keen selways.   they DO have a protected toe area.

i didnt think out the small rock/sand thing before i bought them.  VERY annoying and painful (especially when small gravel gets in there)  

good camp kick-arounds tho.

Jan