Beach goers with special needs will be able to access Volusia County beaches in an easier way.

County council members gave the green light to roll out a new beach wheelchair program with a newly-designed wheelchair.

It’s good news for people with special needs who have to enjoy the beach from the sidelines rather than on the sand.

"It would open up a lot of opportunities for many. There are a lot of people that would like to [come] to the beach, but they don't want to come and sit in the car, you know and look at the water. They want to get out and move around," said disabled veteran Dave Flynn, who works with veterans who cannot visit the beach.

Volusia County Beach Safety and Ocean Rescue did have a beach wheelchair program, but what’s left from that is just a few of those wheelchairs available for the entire county.

"The person who actually designed the chair passed away several years ago and nobody really picked that program back up,” said beach safety director Mark Swanson. “They were very expensive to repair and the maintenance was tough. So through attrition it got down to where we didn't have any available."

Swanson says the new wheelchair is a lot sturdier than the old one.

The old one is made of PVC tubing, while the new design is made of steel.

"I saw it riding down the beach and it's like, you know that fits the needs of so many other men," said Flynn.

Starting January, two of the new wheelchairs will be available at the New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station.

But the plan is to have two of them at every lifeguard station in Volusia County.

They will be free to use for up to four hours when they're available.