ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Paddleboard rentals just got a whole lot easier.
A new self-service paddleboard sharing program is launching in St. Pete Beach on Wednesday.
During a Sept. 27 meeting, city commissioners unanimously approved an agreement with the South Florida-based company PADL to install automated paddleboard kiosks in parks around the city.
How does it work? Think of the scooter and bike-sharing programs you see around Tampa and St. Pete.
First, you download an app on your phone — there's even a QR code on the kiosk that you can scan. Then you look for your paddle number, hit the "begin rental" button on your app, unlock your board and hit the water.
You'll get charged $19 for each hour you use the paddleboard.
When you're done, return your paddle and board back to the kiosk. Just remember to end your rental on the PADL app so you don't keep getting charged.
PADL uses GPS, 3G and self-locking technology to keep track of the boards and make rentals as simple as possible.
There's already one local kiosk at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor as well as several other locations around the state.
On Wednesday, PADL will install four new kiosks around St. Pete Beach at Egan Park, McKenney park, Upham Beach and Pass-a-Grille Beach.
For each paddleboard rental, a 20 percent share of gross receipts net of sales tax will be provided to the city of St. Pete Beach for the granted use of park space.
You can learn more about PADL on the company's website.
