13 years in the past, Clearwater resident Jessica Baker was in a automotive crash that left her utilizing a specialised wheelchair to get round.

Now, it is harder to go to one among her favourite locations: The seashore.

“After I was in a position to stroll, it was enjoyable,” mentioned Baker, 33. “And I used to be included in it. However now utilizing a wheelchair … You see individuals on the seashore, you’ll be able to go on the market and it is not tough. And it might be good to have one thing that made it straightforward for everybody to get pleasure from it.”

Her father, Mike Baker, mentioned it is irritating that Jessica’s household, associates, and caretakers have to stay to sidewalks, and locations just like the Pier at Clearwater Seaside.

“So what occurs is you go hang around, and also you roll round a little bit bit, and also you take a look at the water from afar, however no one can really get pleasure from it,” he mentioned.

In the case of accessibility, many Florida seashores already present guide wheelchairs friends can hire totally free, however they’re tough to push throughout the sand.

Some seashores, like Clearwater, began providing electrical wheelchairs with outsized tires that transfer extra simply. However friends who require customized wheelchairs, like Jessica, cannot use them.

Another choice is a protracted, thick, non-slip, rubber mat rolled down the sand that permits individuals to remain in their very own wheelchairs.

However these can price tens of hundreds of {dollars}, require approval from the state Division of Environmental Safety and Florida Fish and Wildlife, and include a lot purple tape that it makes it tough for munipalities to even contemplate them.

Based on one well-liked model, MobiMat, solely about 30 public parks and seashores within the state of Florida have a MobiMat put in. MobiMat reps say the common price to buy and set up one among their mobility mats ranges from $4,000 to $20,000.

Joelle Castelli is with town of Clearwater. She mentioned town can also be restricted to how far down a mat can go due to excessive tide and sea turtle nests.

“So it is form of extra of a managing expectations,” she mentioned, “versus a difficulty of not desirous to do them, you recognize, individuals will see them, and they’re going to need them to go down all the best way to the water, as a result of that is the place they need to be.”

However the mats should finish 175 ft earlier than the moist sand begins, and a few Florida seashores simply aren’t broad sufficient to accommodate a mat in any respect.

Additionally they want common upkeep. Seaside staff should made certain the mat does not dig grooves within the sand into which child turtles may fall. Additionally they have to be cleaned usually, and rolled up throughout emergencies similar to hurricanes.

Castelli mentioned Clearwater expects to get accredited for 3 mats — starting from 50 ft to 125 ft — on the seashore within the subsequent few months at a value of simply over $18,000. However set up could not occur for a while.

So as to shield sea turtles, development actions on the seashore should be scheduled exterior their nesting season, which lasts from Could 1 to Oct. 31.

Ashley Richmond is from a incapacity entry group in Largo referred to as Assist Us Collect — or HUG. She’s working with native governments to work by allowing obstacles.

“The allowing course of itself may be may be gradual and tedious,” Richmond mentioned. “For those who do not fill out the applying completely, it merely will get rejected. And it’s a must to begin over once more.”

In the case of the problem of price, her group has partnered with the Incapacity Achievement Heart and the Ahead Basis, which has written a clean test to cowl the prices of those mats at Florida seashores.

“The funding is a giant hurdle. After which clearly getting the allow … So for lots of communities, they need to be inclusive,” Richmond mentioned. “However it’s a extremely, actually huge uphill battle.”

HUG has additionally a web site that can monitor all of the wheelchair entry, handicap-accessible parking, and different facilities throughout the state’s seashores.

Within the higher Tampa Bay area, mats are put in at 4 seashores: Treasure Island, Gulfport, St Petersburg – Spa Seaside, and Indian Rocks Seaside. A number of others, like Clearwater, are making their approach by the in depth allowing course of.

For Jessica Baker, whereas the mats aren’t the perfect resolution since they do not go all the best way right down to the water, they’re nonetheless higher than sitting on the sidewalk and admiring it from afar.

At Indian Rocks Seaside just lately, she was in a position to roll down their mat and get nearer to the water than she has in a very long time.

“I actually loved it. It goes out fairly far,” she mentioned. “And I used to be in a position to sit with my household or hang around with associates on the market.”

She hopes extra seashores will contemplate the mats, mentioned it is an “wonderful begin” on the subject of accessibility for everybody.