SARASOTA COUNTY -- Despite the recent cool temperatures, some Sarasota residents are venturing to the beach.
The group is trying out a new floating wheelchair designed specifically for them.
Sarasota County officials recently purchased 10 Mobi-Chairs.
The chairs maneuver easily in the sand and float in the water.
They allow those confined to a wheelchair the opportunity to be wheeled across the sand -- and then without ever leaving their chair -- getting into the water.
Darol Burchett, who has Spina Bifida, said the chair helped him get to do something he's never done before.
"Great, great" said Burchett, who enjoyed the waves crashing onto shore right under his feet at Siesta Key Beach.
Burchett, who is in his 30s, had never been very close to the water. The special wheelchair gave him access to the beach he'd never had before.
"The Mobi-Chair allows an individual with a physical impairment, someone that may use a wheelchair for their mode of transportation to finally get in the water," said Andrea King, who works for the Parks and Recreational Department in Sarasota County.
She said the county recently purchased the chairs to help those with disabilities enjoy the beach more.
"As soon as you get into water, they become buoyant, and they do float," said King.
