Florida Lawmakers Advance Identical E‑Bike Bills Creating Safety Task Force, Setting Sidewalk Rules

Overview

• Florida’s Senate Transportation Committee unanimously approved SB 382, and a House subcommittee unanimously advanced identical HB 243.
• The measures establish an Electric Bicycle Safety Task Force to gather crash data, recommend enforcement improvements, and report to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles by October.
• The bills require riders to yield to pedestrians, give an audible signal before passing, and keep speeds to 10 mph on sidewalks or pedestrian areas when someone is within 50 feet, with violations ticketable.
• The task force would include the DHSMV executive director and the DOT secretary or designees, plus appointees representing sheriffs, police chiefs, the e‑bike industry, cities, counties, medical expertise, and biking safety advocates.
• Sponsors revised earlier drafts after stakeholders warned licensing and other strict enforcement ideas would be hard to implement, with remaining details and funding to be decided in further committee stops.