DELAND, Fla. – DeLand city leaders are tackling what they call a growing problem with teens and e-bikes. City commissioners tell News 6 a new ordinance is coming that could regulate how and where riders can use e-bikes.
Under state law, e-bikes must follow the same rules as bicycles, but police say many riders are ignoring those rules.
“I would much rather your kid go home with a, let’s say, $65 bicycle ticket than me having to show up and we have to tell you, unfortunately, your kid was involved in a serious accident,” said Lt. Mike Stacy of the DeLand Police Department.
In June, a 15-year-old girl was killed in DeLand while crossing South Woodland Boulevard on her e-scooter.
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Lt. Stacy said police are seeing a trend of e-bike and e-scooter riders breaking rules or getting hurt, whether the fault lies with the rider or the drivers of vehicles that the riders interact with.
“The big one is always going to be a distraction for young kids. I’ve seen them riding with other bikes in hand, they have their AirPods in, they’re kind of oblivious to what’s going on,” he said.
The city is drafting an ordinance to strengthen those rules.
Commissioner Richard Paiva said several regulations are under consideration, aligned with state law.
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“It’s things like the age of the users of the different devices, speed limits of the different devices, where the devices can be used,” Paiva said.
The ordinance could even require helmets.
“We’ve been having these conversations for years now about when is it going to be regulated,” said J.C. Figueredo, a downtown DeLand bike shop owner who sells e-bikes.
Figueredo supports a crackdown on both juveniles and adults.
“We’re seeing a lot of people without licenses getting one form of transportation revoked and now they’re on another self-propelled transportation, which they shouldn’t be able to do,” he said.
The ordinance is still being drafted and is expected to come before the city commission in the coming months.
Other cities and counties are pursuing similar measures.
Our sister station in Jacksonville, WJXT, recently reported that the St. Johns County sheriff is drafting legislation to update Florida’s e-bike laws.
Sheriff Robert Hardwick said the legislation will clarify e-bike regulations, which currently fall under bicycle statutes.
He has the support of State Sen. Tom Leek and State Rep. Kim Kendall to sponsor the bill in the Florida Senate and House next year.