DeSantis argued a 10 mph speed limit within 50 feet of pedestrians would be hard for e-bike riders to measure and cause increased surveillance by local governments.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis used his veto pen Thursday to stop a bill that would have implemented safety measures to protect pedestrians near e-bike riders.
In addition to the speed limit, Senate Bill 382 would have created a safety task force to work on recommendations for e-bike regulation.
SB 382, which was approved by lawmakers in the most recent legislative session, would have required riders on shared pathways not next to roadways, such as within parks, to yield to pedestrians and give an audible signal before passing them. It would also have limited e-bikes to 10 miles per hour when within 50 feet of a pedestrian on pathways designated for pedestrian use.
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In his veto letter, DeSantis argued that the speed limit would be difficult for riders to adhere to with certainty.
“The bill establishes a standard that would certainly be difficult for a bicyclist to measure when safely operating an e-bike. Violator would be guilty of a nonmoving traffic violation and subject to fines surpassing $100, a violation that would inevitably be enforced with speed detection and surveillance devices,” DeSantis wrote.
The governor also took issue with the establishment of a “Micromobility Device Safety Task Force” and a lack of limits on its operation length and the number of regulation recommendations it can make.
“This bill will likely lead to enhanced surveillance by local governments against citizens. Moreover, the bill creates a task force, yet substantive changes are also implemented prior to any task force recommendations,” DeSantis wrote.
The bill was introduced in the Senate by Keith Truenow, with co-introducers Sen. Clay Yarborough and Sen. Tom Leek. Leek and Yarborough represent parts of Northeast Florida, where the number of e-bike crash-related injuries has skyrocketed in recent years.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital, located in Jacksonville, treated just three patients for injuries from e-bike and e-scooter crashes in 2022. Last year, that number was 115. So far this year, they’ve already treated more than 88 patients.
“The concerns raised by the Governor are valid,” Yarborough said in a statement to First Coast News. “I co-sponsored the bill because a growing number of Floridians, especially younger ones, continue to be severely injured in e-bike accidents. We have a responsibility to both protect pedestrians and improve safety for e-bike riders, so hopefully next Session we can strike the right balance on a workable policy.”