HOMOSASSA, Fla. — Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is getting a small grant that will help improve accessibility for people visiting the park.

Don O’Toole, president of the Friends of Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, drives three times a week from his home in Hernando Beach to volunteer at the park.

“I just love it,” said O’Toole, who first visited the park in 2018. “I love the park, I love the people there, love the animals.”

He said he took his granddaughter there to go fishing one day, saw its beauty and asked if he could work there since he had a boating license.

“Two months later, I was driving boats there,” O’Toole said.

Since then, he’s risen up the volunteer ranks to the point of becoming president of the “Friends” organization since August 2022.

It’s during his tenure that one of the group's board members learned about a grant program with the Florida State Parks Foundation, which awards $5,000 to 10 parks in the state.

“When we heard about it, our vice president says, ‘You know, we could use wheelchairs,’ and I thought that’s a good idea,” O’Toole said.

The Friends of Homosassa Springs decided to go for it.

Even though they put their collective hat in the ring, O’Toole wasn’t sure they’d be selected.

“There are so many parks out there,” he said. “I said, 'You know, you really think that we should do this?' You know? And sure enough, we were selected for it.”

Even if it doesn’t feel like a lot of money, to O’Toole, it makes a world of a difference for some people going to Homosassa.

That money, he said, is going to good use to make the park more accessible.

The group will be buying about a dozen wheelchairs for people to use for free when they visit the park.

“It’s very important,” said O’Toole. “Very important. We need to let anyone that wants to come into the park be able to access the park.”