- A brand new business is coming to Padre Island where people can rent authentic retired military Humvees.
- The Humvees are street-legal everywhere on the island, even over the JFK Causeway.
- Some residents have voiced safety concerns about the humvees.
- Padre Island Humvee Rentals plans to have a grand opening in early November.
You've seen golf carts rolling around the island and the beach, but what about large military vehicles? Padre Island Humvee Rentals is a new business getting ready to open its doors that will offer daily rentals for retired authentic military Humvees. They are street-legal and can be driven over the JFK Causeway.
“Why is everybody driving golf carts around when you can’t take the golf cart to a restaurant, or the grocery store, or somewhere right after you get done with the beach? Why can’t we get something that will do it all? So, we wanted to be able to take it over the bridge, we wanted to be able to just go wherever," Sonni Menaldi, one of the co-owners of Padre Island Humvee Rentals said.
Sonni and her husband Adam Menaldi, along with two other island neighbors, Norm and Holly Clapp, decided to become business partners and start Padre Island Humvee Rentals. It's set to open in early November, but the owners have already been getting Humvee vehicles delivered to the island. The Menaldis had their own Humvee they would drive on the beach, and they said it caught people's attention and interest.
“We just decided hey, I think more people would want to do this. And so we started talking to our neighbors, Norm and Holly, and, thought, yeah, this will be a good idea we could rent them out," Menaldi said.
All Humvees available for rent were purchased from military auctions, or from people who purchased them from a military auction.
“There’s so many veterans that would stop us and say hey, I used to drive one of those, this is so cool, do you know where this is from? They are all direct, these were all used in a military branch, somewhere," Menaldi said.
When islanders caught word of this new business, some had safety concerns.
“The only thing that I would be concerned about is people taking them down south and driving them up into the dunes and stuff," David Osborn, a Padre Island Resident said.
The owners of Padre Island Humvee Rentals say they will not be taking driver's safety lightly.
“We’ll post everything, all the requirements for beach driving, the speed limit especially, no driving in the dunes," Menaldi said. “We will make it very, very clear that you must follow the general rules of the road.”
Drivers of the Humvees must be at least 25 years old, and paperwork and insurance information must be signed and provided for all riders of the Humvees.
The Menaldi's and the Clapp's hope to host a grand opening for their new business in early November, and they say they have not yet decided on rental prices, but they want to be competitive with golf cart rental companies.
“I think people will obey rules and regulations because it’s something new and something special being brought to Corpus," Pamela Osborn, a Padre Island Resident said.
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