CLAY COUNTY – A South Florida-based paddle boarding kiosk service has made a push into Northeast Florida, including three stations in Clay County.

Paddleboarders can rent equipment using PADL’s solar-powered stations. The partnership began last summer, Clay County Director of Tourism Kimberly Morgan said.

“It was a unique opportunity. The county manager got a request from them to set up a PADL station and to work together, and later there was a request for proposal made,” Morgan said. “They took it and ran with it.”

The three locations are located at Camp Chowenwaw, Doctors Lake Park and Keystone Beach. In 2021, the company opened 22 new locations in Florida. According to the company, PADL users traversed more than 4,500 miles, with more than 5,500 hours on the water and more than 4,600 individual uses.

“They’ve got a very engaged following,” she said. “We are their first entry into Northeast Florida. The developers are friendly. They see huge potential for Clay County.”

Paddleboarders can rent equipment in a few minutes. It costs about $19 an hour for a ride. Membership rates vary and can gain riders two hours for free and $10 an hour after. Morgan said PADL is easy to access and other locations can offer tours, lessons or have meetups, a level the county doesn’t have yet.

“Right now, we’re building that awareness, working with PADL and getting the word out,” Morgan said. “What we want to do now is make the stations we have to be more successful, making sure locals and visitors know this paddleboarding experience can be yours economically.”

With the county’s ecotourism, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed people to go to areas they hadn’t traveled to, Morgan said. The county saw a substantial increase in its bed tax in 2021.

“Ecotourism is our greatest asset. Whether it’s hiking or cycling or just being outside, our natural beauty is what people are continuing to want,” Morgan said. “They want to see places they’ve never been before.”