Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday that will allow local governments to regulate the use of e-bikes and scooters by age, a provision that the Village of Key Biscayne had long sought. The measure had failed in the Legislature before, but had more urgency this session after the tragic death of Megan Andrews, a Key Biscayne resident, Feb. 14, 2024.
The measure, tucked into a state transportation bill, was shepherded by Rep. Vicki Lopez, R-Miami, who vowed to get the measure passed after Andrews’ fatal collision with a scooter on a residential street.
“This legislation will save lives and prevent future tragedy by ensuring pedestrian and roadway safety,” Lopez said in a statement. She plans to reach out to the Andrews family to let them know that the measure is now law, an aide said. In April, he bill passed both chambers of the Legislature unanimously.
Key Biscayne’s Village Council passed an e-bike and scooter ban immediately following the crash — after previously delaying action despite mounting evidence that the devices were hazardous. The e-bikes and scooters were mostly ridden by children.
The Village always had the legal ability to enforce state laws banning the devices on sidewalks and to regulate use on local streets, but it could not regulate by age. Officials sought a change in state law to allow age-based usage rules. The Village lacked authority to ban devices on Crandon Blvd, and so Manager Steve Williamson and Police Chief Frank Sousa feared that a full ban on local streets would send children into the busy roadway, increasing risk.
Since the ban, even without the new law, Village sidewalks and streets have largely been free of the “micromobility” devices. The new law, which goes into effect July 1, will now allow the Village to relax its ban. But it’s not clear how much appetite there is to allow older riders to again use the devices on Village streets.
This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN News partner.
