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Record of Proceedings

City Commission Work Session on Micromobility - August 13, 2026

City Commission — Thursday, August 13, 2026
BodyWinter Park, Florida
SessionCity Commission
DateThursday, August 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:48

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Miles per hour.

0:01

I mean the my correlation to medical mobility aids is the lark.

0:05

I remember watching like so many commercials late night or I'm up and like and I see it.

0:10

I don't think those things can go more than like eight miles an hour or five miles an hour.

0:14

I just don't want somebody to be like, yeah, I've got a disability and my micromobility goes 30 miles an hour.

0:24

I know that, you know, we can sit here and kind of joke about it, but I know that there could potentially be somebody out there that would be like it's exempt.

0:32

You know, here's my disability and here's my handicap sticker or whatever.

0:37

And I'm thinking to myself, I don't I don't want to necessarily legislate something that's gonna be an unknown, but you know, I guess I'm saying it as a forewarning of this is a moving space.

Speaker 2

0:57

It is, and I'll say this so uh the the top suggestion versus what I pulled from Deland's new ordinance, expressly exempt persons with disabilities would open the door a lot more to that.

1:10

But when you say medical mobility aids, I think that that uh you're talking about the device and specifically designed to address something uh a mobility issue rather than exempting um and saying they have free-for-all, can ride uh uh dirt bike up and down.

Speaker 3

1:33

Yeah, again, I I fully agree.

1:35

I think the idea of of regulating it based on the device as opposed to the person is much stronger because it's gonna bear much stronger, I think, constitutional scrutiny.

1:44

So it's gonna, you know, I can't see anyone reasonably being able to say, oh, I have a disability that requires me to go 30 miles an hour on my mobility device.

1:52

You know this Keanu Reeves and speed, maybe, but everybody else has to have a speed limit on the speed limiter on their mobility device.

1:58

So yeah, so I'm I'm looking through this the floor definitions now, seeing anything immediately about that, but uh I'll do some additional digging and see if there's something that I can find because I I do recall when doing the research so that there was there was something about medical, there's some kind of carve out for medical stuff that was that was included.

2:12

Um so I'll I'll dig into those additional details and I'll throw as much of that language in and that link to the extent that language does not exist.

2:19

I think medical mobility uh devices is a perfectly perfect way to set it.

2:23

And we'll we'll define that.

2:24

We can throw in a quick definition of that to basically be a form of micro-mobility device, low speed that uh is intended primarily for the transportation of some, you know, something like that.

2:33

We can throw something together like that pretty easily.

Unassigned speaker

2:51

Go

Speaker 2

2:51

ahead.

2:51

Yeah,

Speaker 4

2:52

I I respectfully object to uh or areas of heavy pedestrian traffic as designated by a city manager by written designation.

3:04

You know, I think that you know that means that one person without notice or um, you know, can I think it's just too broad.

3:15

I think it's too much discretion, I think it's unnecessary.

3:17

So I move to strike

Unassigned speaker

3:19

that.

Speaker 5

3:25

Are you saying put a period after or areas of heavy pedestrian traffic, period?

3:31

Is that what you're saying?

3:32

And take out as designated by the city manager by written designation.

3:35

Yes.

Speaker 3

3:36

Well, I I I think that that's we don't have a definition for areas of hairy pedestrian traffic.

3:40

We'd have to keep it, we'd have to end it at parks.

Speaker 1

3:43

Okay, that's right,

Speaker 3

3:43

parts.

3:44

Yeah, that's fine.

3:44

I I have no problem with that.

Unassigned speaker

3:45

I'm just saying the the areas of hairy pedestrian traffic um is is just we we took that language from another just to do process because then they you know, well, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3

3:53

Yeah, 100%.

3:54

I it's always easier to throw in extra stuff and take it out.

3:56

Um so I I've got no problem taking that out.

3:59

That's and I I think especially because a lot of your areas of heaviest pedestrian traffic are already covered.

4:04

Not to say that his description would not be free.

4:06

Certainly, but uh, later, yeah.

4:11

Well, looming in the shadow waiting to take over.

4:14

Um uh no uh so

Unassigned speaker

4:17

in front of my house is too heavily.

Speaker 3

4:19

I uh I but I I I do think I do think that the the carve outs on areas is also is gonna address a lot of your heavy pedestrian traffic uh air anyway.

4:27

And to your to your point,

Unassigned speaker

4:29

uh

Speaker 3

4:29

Commissioner Lindsay, I think that that if you want to have other areas of heavy pedestrian traffic on the same thing, you guys can always amend this as a com commission to include new areas of that would so and I I do think that that's a good idea.

4:42

We can we could definitely take that out without without having significant impact on the the ability of this to have the effect we need to.

Speaker 1

4:49

How do we approach when I guess there's we block off Park Avenue for like a a festival?

4:55

I mean, I know there's cops at checkpoints.

4:58

I know we have the the ballards out there and stuff, but somebody takes our electric bike and is on Park Avenue and the arc test is going

Speaker 2

5:06

on.

5:07

Um in general they're not allowed to ride their bicycle through the festival area that's uh expressly stated in the rules.

5:13

So we ask them to walk it.

5:16

Okay, great.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Education Funding████████████14%
Public Safety███████████13%
Procedural███████8%
Disability Rights███4%
Community Engagement███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Insurance Regulation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

City Commission Work Session on Micromobility - August 13, 2026

The Winter Park City Commission held a work session on August 13, 2026, from 3:30 PM to 5:15 PM to discuss proposed amendments to the city's Micromobility ordinance, covering e-bikes, electric motorcycles, scooters, and related devices. The discussion focused on definitions, operational rules, enforcement mechanisms, and safety education prerequisites.

Discussion Items

Definitions and Classification

  • The definition of electric bicycles was revised to conform with Florida statutes, specifying motors under 750 watts and a maximum speed of 28 mph; classifications of Class1,2, and3 were extracted from state law.
  • A new local definition for electric motorcycles was introduced, as there is no existing Florida statutory equivalent; these are identified as a primary safety concern, distinguishable by the presence of pegs as opposed to pedals.
  • Any vehicle exceeding 750W or lacking operational pedals is not classified as an electric bicycle.

Operational Rules (Section98-6)

  • Riding on sidewalks is prohibited in the Central Business District, Hannibal Square, and Orange Avenue District.
  • The previously established hard speed limit of10 mph has been removed and replaced with a standard of "unsafe speed" or careless operation, derived from Florida §316's careless driving language, allowing law enforcement to exercise contextual judgment.
  • Operators are required to slow down to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.
  • The designation of "areas of heavy pedestrian traffic" as determined by the city manager has been removed due to its broad scope and potential for unnecessary discretion.
  • Medical mobility aids are explicitly exempted, with regulations linked to the device rather than the individual, to withstand legal scrutiny.
  • Rental of micromobility devices within city limits remains prohibited.

Safety Education Requirement

  • Individuals under16 years of age must complete a city-approved rider safety course prior to operating a micromobility device within the city.
  • Two existing online programs have been identified, costing between $25 and $26 and requiring four hours; a completion certificate will replace the previously proposed city-issued card.
  • Course approval will be formalized through a resolution by the city commission and not delegated solely to the police department.
  • An option was discussed whereby repeat offenders may retake the course instead of paying a fine; the Chief has expressed willingness to host sessions at the community center.

Enforcement and Penalties

  • Citations will be contested before a special magistrate or a local hearing officer, aligning with processes for red light camera violations and trespassing appeals.
  • Parents or legal guardians of minors under18 will be held responsible for fines.
  • Impoundment of vehicles is authorized for repeat violations, with impound fees serving as additional deterrents.
  • In the case of electric motorcycles, a first offense will result in impoundment due to immediate safety concerns.
  • The requirement for government-issued photo identification, outlined in Section F, has been entirely removed as it is deemed impractical.

Helmet and Signage

  • The expansion of helmet age requirements to18 years was considered legally risky; the Florida statute explicitly mandates requirements for individuals16 and under, hence this measure was not pursued.
  • No new signage regarding speed limits is recommended; existing signs, which are worn on the bike path, will be voluntarily updated.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission reached consensus on a revised ordinance framework that reflects Florida statute, incorporates a locally enforceable definition of electric motorcycles, substitutes rigid speed limits with a contextual safety standard, and associates a mandatory education requirement with an enforcement mechanism - with the final language to be drafted by City Attorney Ben Schaefer prior to a full commission vote.
  • The next steps include the draft being brought before the full commission for a vote at two meetings in September.

Meeting Transcript

Miles per hour. I mean the my correlation to medical mobility aids is the lark. I remember watching like so many commercials late night or I'm up and like and I see it. I don't think those things can go more than like eight miles an hour or five miles an hour. I just don't want somebody to be like, yeah, I've got a disability and my micromobility goes 30 miles an hour. I know that, you know, we can sit here and kind of joke about it, but I know that there could potentially be somebody out there that would be like it's exempt. You know, here's my disability and here's my handicap sticker or whatever. And I'm thinking to myself, I don't I don't want to necessarily legislate something that's gonna be an unknown, but you know, I guess I'm saying it as a forewarning of this is a moving space. It is, and I'll say this so uh the the top suggestion versus what I pulled from Deland's new ordinance, expressly exempt persons with disabilities would open the door a lot more to that. But when you say medical mobility aids, I think that that uh you're talking about the device and specifically designed to address something uh a mobility issue rather than exempting um and saying they have free-for-all, can ride uh uh dirt bike up and down. Yeah, again, I I fully agree. I think the idea of of regulating it based on the device as opposed to the person is much stronger because it's gonna bear much stronger, I think, constitutional scrutiny. So it's gonna, you know, I can't see anyone reasonably being able to say, oh, I have a disability that requires me to go 30 miles an hour on my mobility device. You know this Keanu Reeves and speed, maybe, but everybody else has to have a speed limit on the speed limiter on their mobility device. So yeah, so I'm I'm looking through this the floor definitions now, seeing anything immediately about that, but uh I'll do some additional digging and see if there's something that I can find because I I do recall when doing the research so that there was there was something about medical, there's some kind of carve out for medical stuff that was that was included. Um so I'll I'll dig into those additional details and I'll throw as much of that language in and that link to the extent that language does not exist. I think medical mobility uh devices is a perfectly perfect way to set it. And we'll we'll define that. We can throw in a quick definition of that to basically be a form of micro-mobility device, low speed that uh is intended primarily for the transportation of some, you know, something like that. We can throw something together like that pretty easily. Go ahead. Yeah, I I respectfully object to uh or areas of heavy pedestrian traffic as designated by a city manager by written designation. You know, I think that you know that means that one person without notice or um, you know, can I think it's just too broad. I think it's too much discretion, I think it's unnecessary. So I move to strike that. Are you saying put a period after or areas of heavy pedestrian traffic, period? Is that what you're saying? And take out as designated by the city manager by written designation. Yes. Well, I I I think that that's we don't have a definition for areas of hairy pedestrian traffic. We'd have to keep it, we'd have to end it at parks. Okay, that's right, parts. Yeah, that's fine. I I have no problem with that. I'm just saying the the areas of hairy pedestrian traffic um is is just we we took that language from another just to do process because then they you know, well, you know what I mean. Yeah, 100%. I it's always easier to throw in extra stuff and take it out. Um so I I've got no problem taking that out. That's and I I think especially because a lot of your areas of heaviest pedestrian traffic are already covered. Not to say that his description would not be free. Certainly, but uh, later, yeah. Well, looming in the shadow waiting to take over. Um uh no uh so in front of my house is too heavily. I uh I but I I I do think I do think that the the carve outs on areas is also is gonna address a lot of your heavy pedestrian traffic uh air anyway. And to your to your point,

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