Four of Florida's most celebrated coastal state parks are getting a significant accessibility upgrade. The Florida State Parks Foundation has announced a $100,000 grant from Surfing's Evolution & Preservation Foundation to place an EcoRover track chair and dedicated storage trailer at each of four parks: Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale, St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, and T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in Port St. Joe.
The timing is meaningful — the announcement arrived just after Disability Pride Month and the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The track chairs are designed to navigate the soft, uneven terrain of sandy beaches that standard wheelchairs simply can't handle, opening up shoreline experiences to visitors who might otherwise be unable to reach the water's edge.
The two panhandle parks in the group are no strangers to recognition. St. Andrews and Delnor-Wiggins Pass recently landed at Nos. 2 and 6, respectively, on Dr. Beach's annual ranking of the best beaches in the United States — so these new chairs give more visitors a shot at experiencing some genuinely world-class coastline.
Surfing's Evolution & Preservation Foundation, founded by Ron DiMenna — the creator of Ron Jon Surf Shop — and his wife Lynne, has become one of the Florida State Parks Foundation's most consistent supporters. Since 2021, the organization has contributed $445,000 toward Florida's state parks, previously funding accessible beach matting at seven parks, electric trams at three parks, more than 60 beach wheelchairs, 10 floating wheelchairs, and equipment for park rangers.
This story was originally reported by the Florida State Parks Foundation.
