Access Mat Rolled Out at South Beach

County workers fitted an access ramp and a 50-foot access mat to the end of the boardwalk at the South Beach beach access Monday afternoon. County Commissioner Rick LoCastro, county parks leaders, and representatives from the Marco Patriots group, who advocated for the installation of the mat, were on hand for the mat’s debut. An additional 139 feet of mat is expected to be approved within days.

"The reason we’re out here on November 1,” LoCastro said, "is because sea turtle nesting season ended yesterday.  Nothing could be out here during turtle season. But now we have gotten approval for the first 50-feet to stay out here during turtle season. During sea turtle nesting season this will be the permanent piece.”

The blue mat, manufactured by ACCESSMAT, complies with Architectural Barrier Act (ABA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. County workers also fitted a hard plastic ramp to the end of the beach boardwalk that will connect to the access mat.

The access mat will allow wheelchairs, strollers, and beach carts to easily roll onto the beach.

"We promised on November 1 we’d have a mat in hand and we’d roll it out on the beach,” LoCastro said. "And we also wanted to make sure it fit right. These guys are going to bring it back, dust it off, get the second section, and then come out and go out as far as FDEP will let us go out.”

The second section, if approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), will extend the mat out 189-feet from the end of the beach boardwalk. LoCastro expects the approval soon.

“We really just rolled this mat out to size it and see how it would fit,” LoCastro said. "And see how far it would go out. We’re actually going to take this back to the county this afternoon. One thing we didn’t want to do is piecemeal this thing. So when we get the approvals for the additional section, which we hope will be in the next couple of days, then we want to come out and put it down all at one time.”

County parks director Barry Williams, who is spearheading the project, has been working with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on permitting. The first 50-foot link is approved.

“We’re working through permitting with FWC,” Williams said. "FWC has agreed to allow this link, which is in essence 25 percent of the beach to the mean high water line. So the 25 percent link can stay down year-round. But what we want is to continue out to approximately 189-feet.  In order for us to do that—and they’re open to that - they’re requiring us to enter into a long term agreement to ensure that we will remove the mat during sea turtle nesting season. We’ve agreed with FWC. FWC is communicating with FDEP, which is the actual permitting agency. So as soon as they have FWC’s comments, which they should have today or tomorrow, FDEP is going to expedite the permit and then we’ll put this down permanently. It’s a lot of good work by a lot of advocates and Commissioner LoCastro to make it happen."

Erin Mia Milchman, a founding member of the Marco Patriots group, was motivated by a friend to advocate for the access mat.

 “I have a friend who is a Marine veteran, who is in a wheelchair,” Milchman said. "He’s not able to come and enjoy the beach. That bothered me for many years that we don’t have accommodations for people. It’s not just handicapped people. This island is aging. I know a lot of people who won’t make the long trek down the beach because they’re afraid of breaking a hip or something. My own mother broke her leg because of soft sand. I know that people have tried to get this done in the past, but it hasn’t worked.”

According to LoCastro, advocates for the access mat were trying to work through Marco’s City Council. 

"It’s the county that has jurisdiction and ownership over this area,” LoCastro said. “Engaging the county is what should have been done very, very, early on. I heard about this shortly after I was elected and we all met out here on April 22, the Marco Patriots and some citizens who really liked the idea, some citizens who were engineers and really had some idea of how to do this.”

Nancy and Mick Moriarty are two members of the Marco Patriots who have been involved with the project to bring the access mat to South Beach. Nancy was the first person to try out the new mat.

“It helps,” Nancy Moriarty said, “I didn’t know I was going to handicapped. I’m a nurse. I’ve had two knee replacements.”

“I promised not only would the county fully fund the mat,” LoCastro said, "but we would install it on November 1.”

LoCastro said the entire 189-feet of mat may not be approved.

"They might not let us go the whole 189-feet,” LoCastro said. "If they don’t give us the entire 189-feet, we’ll take out whatever section we have to. But what we said as a county is, we want to measure twice and cut once. Let’s get the maximum length and install it one time.”

The country will be responsible for maintaining the access mat.

“Once you put it to grade,” Williams said, "it pretty well stays put. It’s attached to grade, there are spikes that go down pretty far. We are here daily to inspect the mat, make sure it’s in good condition. We work with the beach groomer, who is aware of this mat. He won’t groom over it or do anything that will damage it. Our job will be to come in every morning and blow it off, make sure the sand’s blown off. As people use it, sand will get kicked up on it, so we’ll blow that off, make sure it’s ready for the next day.”