TAMPA, Fla – Before heading to the beach, one University of Florida Junior wants people to have more information at their fingertips.
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What we know:
Ja’rell Felix, a 20-year-old aerospace engineering student, created the Beach Lens app to give beach goers a one-stop place to check conditions, parking, crowds and other information before heading to the water.
The idea took on a deeper purpose after Felix learned about the death of 10-year-old Trinity Elsinger, who was killed by a rip current in Destin last summer.
Beach Lens app safety
The backstory:
Felix originally planned to build research drones to monitor conditions in the water, including red tide and high tides.
After learning about Trinity’s death, he shifted his focus toward public safety.
Beach Lens allows users to search for Florida beaches and find information including:
Parking options
Beach amenities
Crowd reports
Weather conditions
Wave heights
Rip currents
Water quality
Whether a lifeguard is on duty
Felix says the goal is to make it easier for people to make informed decisions before they arrive at the beach. He said, “That’s been the mission ever since for Beach Lens. It’s just to centralize the data, simplify in a way that makes sense.”
Safety app launch origins
Why Felix created the app:
Felix says Florida’s popularity as a beach destination creates a need for better information about conditions and safety.
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He says the idea was driven in part by the thought that a tragedy like Trinity’s could happen to anyone.
“Maybe if that family would have had, you know, a tool like Beach Lense to be able to help them understand the conditions of the beach and how they were going to change and they possibly could have saved their daughter’s life,” he said.
The app is his attempt to put more of the information people need in one place.
How many people are using it?
By the numbers:
Felix says about 30,000 people have downloaded Beach Lens so far.
The app is free and available through the Apple and Android app stores. To learn more, click here
Future app expansion
What’s next:
Felix is continuing to fine-tune the app and says he welcomes feedback from users.
Eventually, he hopes to expand Beach Lens beyond Florida’s beaches to include lakes and springs as well.
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