Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth announced today that the Board of County Commissioners has approved a $25,000 grant to purchase five beach wheelchairs and a rubberized beach access mat. The new equipment will be available at Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach, a 14.7-acre beach park featuring an underwater snorkeling trail, fishing area and a playground.

The state-of-the-art beach wheelchair is designed to navigate th​e sand and float in the water. Consequently, users will have direct water access to participate in activities such as snorkeling, which is extremely popular at Phil Foster Park.

The rubberized beach mat (Mobi-Mat) is five-foot-wide and extends 50 feet from the sidewalk providing beachgoers relying on wheelchairs and other mobility aids easy access to the beach. The Mobi-Mat will be accessible on the south side of the park.

“Having state-of-art equipment available is important in ensuring everyone, no matter their age or ability, easy access to our waterfront parks,” Weinroth said.

Similar equipment is also available in other county beach parks including Carlin Park, Jupiter Beach Park and Ocean Cay Park.

The new equipment is expected to be available before the end of the year.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Cirillo at 561-963-6732 or jcirillo@pbcgov.org.