ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County leaders are discussing safety as concerns have been increasing about the use of e-bikes and e-scooters.
On Tuesday, commissioners will hear a presentation about legislation, local ordinances, and addressing unsafe behavior on micro-mobility devices.
“You’ve seen it everywhere. Even if you get off a bus, you see these scooters ride past you,” District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe said. “When we have stronger regulations to ride a bicycle than we do a mechanical scooter, we really need to look at this.”
Last week, 13-year-old Colton Remsburg died after he was hit by a pickup truck while riding an electric scooter off Moss Park Road.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Remsburg was not wearing a helmet and not in a marked crosswalk when he entered the direct path of the truck.
“It didn’t have to happen. We started this conversation, maybe we should have accelerated it,” Uribe said. “The memory of this young boy should at least set something to say we need to change it. We need to fix it, and no more children, no more people should ever die on this.”
No action is requested from Tuesday’s presentation, although commissioners are expected to discuss possibly building on regulations that have been passed in other Central Florida municipalities.
“I think we’re definitely going to pursue something similar,” Uribe said. “It’ll be great to have a discussion as a board, but having facts and hearing from other folks.”
Representatives from Orange County Public Schools and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are expected to take part in Tuesday’s conversation, which is scheduled to happen during the Board of County Commissioners meeting at 9 a.m.