TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Governor Ron DeSantis has vetoed his first round of bills, and one of them is drawing disappointment from a Tampa Bay family.
The measure passed the legislature unanimously and looked to create a task force to help regulate micromobility devices, slow down e-bike riders on sidewalks, and require riders to give an audible signal before passing pedestrians.
DeSantis vetoes bill that would create new e-bike rules
But DeSantis said the bill went too far, warning it could lead to increased surveillance.
“I thought it potentially would have some unintended consequences, but certainly I don’t want to do anything that’s going to lead to more surveillance,” said DeSantis during an education press conference in Lakeland Friday.
The governor said he takes issue with enforcing violations through speed detection and surveillance technology, calling it an overreach.
But for mothers like Michelle Lynch, it wasn’t an overreach. It was about whether future riders get protections her son never had.
“He had simply left his keys in a friend’s car and was riding back to his apartment when a car struck and killed him,” Lynch said.
Connor was just 19 years old when he was killed in an e-scooter crash near the University of South Florida in February 2024. The sophomore had recently declared himself an entrepreneurial business major.
Connor Lynch
“It is really hard to know what would have happened if these rules were in place two years ago. Hard to know if Connor would still be here,” Lynch said.
For Lynch, that question has followed her since the day she lost Connor.
“People are dying and people are being injured tremendously all over the place. And I just, I don’t understand it, to be honest,” Lynch said.
Lynch said she hopes law enforcement agencies across the state join in the push to bring the bill back, this time with more clarity.
“I will fight for this until rules and laws are in place. My ultimate goal is that Connor’s life was not in vain, that we will be able to save lives of other people on these dangerous vehicles. And that’s what they are, is vehicles,” Lynch said.
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