You can now rent paddle boards at these 3 parks in Flagler County

Cover photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by Michael Coghlan | Flickr

Residents and visitors of Flagler County, Florida alike just got a new way to explore parks in the area — by way of paddle board. Kiosks offering four paddle boards, paddles, and life preservers have found their way to Herschel King, Bings Landing, and River to Sea Preserve, with an aim of taking out the hassle of packing your own equipment, as well as creating accessible options for those who don't happen to have equipment themselves.

“Residents are seeking more access to the water, and we are always looking for ways to add amenities to our parks facilities," said County Administrator, Heidi Petito. “We were provided with a very good opportunity by [a] company called PADL out of Key Biscayne. They work with other counties and state parks, with kiosks throughout the State of Florida.”

Park Manager, Frank Barbuti says that these kiosks have everything you need to paddle board out of the three parks. Each park will have a single kiosk for visitor use, except for River to Sea, which has two.

Those hoping to rent a paddle board from a self-serve kiosk will have to download PADL's app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play, following the prompts to secure your rental and unlock your board.

According to a press release from Flagler County, the cost to rent from one of these self-serve stations typically runs around $25 per hour. PADL's website, www.padl.co, also provides additional information and how-to videos about renting, riding, and using a paddle board for the first time, as well as how to end your rental.

The website also has an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page listing additional rental parameters. Those are as follows:

• Renters must be 18 years old to ride
• Hours are sunrise to sunset or 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. as weather permits
• Renters are only responsible for equipment theft if they failed to lock it up after use and it is subsequently taken.
• The boards weigh about 28 pounds
• Riders must weigh no more than 250 pounds
• No reservations are taken – first come, first served only
• The PADL app will store the payment method and process payments for rides

To learn more about PADL or to download the app, check out their website here. To read the press release from Flagler County in full, click here instead.
​
Looking for other fun and interesting things to do in Florida? The 'World's Largest Cannabis & Psychedelics Convention' is coming to St. Pete next month! Click here to learn more.
Article by Rachael Volpe