HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — If you ride an e-bike or a scooter on a Hillsborough sidewalk, the county wants you going no faster than 10 mph.
County commissioners voted 7-0 last Wednesday to schedule a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would set speed limits for e-bikes, motorized scooters and regular bicycles across the county. The vote came on the consent agenda without debate. It didn't adopt the rules. That decision is set for a hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to the county's published notice of the hearing.
What the rules would do
- Speed limits: 10 mph on sidewalks, 15 mph on shared paths and trails, and 28 mph on roads and in bike lanes.
- No souping up: Riders couldn't modify a bike or scooter to go faster than it was designed to.
- Equipment: Working brakes, reflectors and lights, plus helmet requirements.
- Riding rules: Yield to people walking and give a verbal warning before passing. No wheelies or stunt riding, no towing another rider, no street takeovers, and no more than two riders side by side outside a bike path.
- Penalties: Warnings, citations and fines. Police could also impound bikes of riders caught speeding or doing stunts, and after a child's second violation, parents could be on the hook for fines, Axios Tampa Bay reported.
The sheriff's office asked for the ordinance. It would apply in unincorporated Hillsborough and in Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City wherever those cities haven't set their own rules. Until commissioners adopt it, none of it is in effect.
Why now
Commissioner Harry Cohen brought the idea forward, and the board voted 6-0 on Oct. 7 to have county lawyers draft rules with the sheriff's office. A Tampa Bay Times analysis earlier this year found 27 people died riding e-bikes in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco over five years, 18 of them in Pinellas.
Michelle Lynch has pushed for change since her son Connor, a 19-year-old USF student, was killed in 2024 when a car turned in front of his scooter. “Make sure you're wearing bright colors. Make sure you're using your lights on your scooter,” she told ABC Action News.
Doctors say the injuries are getting worse. “The injury severity is just getting worse and worse,” Tampa orthopedic trauma surgeon Dr. Hassan Mir told the station.
One question could come up at the hearing. During public comment last week, a Riverview injury attorney asked commissioners to cover so-called e-motos, electric motorcycles sometimes sold as e-bikes that can hit 40 to 60 mph and may fall outside Florida's legal definition of an electric bicycle.
How to speak at the Nov. 10 hearing
The hearing is in the board room on the second floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa, and you can also take part virtually. To speak, fill out the county's online public comment signup form by 9 a.m. the day of the hearing, or register in person in the County Center lobby that morning. Speakers are called in the order they sign up. The full ordinance text is posted with the county clerk's records.
Tampa City Council is having its own talk about bike and pedestrian safety. At a workshop last Thursday, council members heard from city transportation staff and pushed the discussion to Jan. 7.