DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Jacksonville’s Rules Committee voted 5-2 Monday to advance a substitute ordinance aimed at regulating e-bike safety on city sidewalks and shared pathways, capping speeds at 15 mph and calling for retailer-based public education — a move supporters say is long overdue.
Council Member Michael Boylan, who introduced the legislation, framed the issue in stark terms.
“To think it’s okay for a child whose only qualification is that the feet can reach the pedals of an e-bike, can go 28 miles an hour on a sidewalk or a shared pathway — in my mind is flawed thinking,” Boylan said.
What the bill does
The substitute ordinance includes nine amendments from a previous version of the bill. Among the key changes: the speed limit was raised from 10 mph to 15 mph on sidewalks and shared pathways, in line with a Florida state statute governing local e-bike ordinances.
The bill also removes a previously proposed age limit, leaving enforcement of age-related restrictions to parents and guardians. It includes language giving Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, or JSO, officers discretion to cite riders for unsafe operation without having to document a specific speed violation.
“If they see a young man or young woman going down on a sidewalk at 20 or 25 miles an hour, the police officer has every right to stop that person and hold them accountable for the fact that they’re unsafely operating that e-bike on a sidewalk,” Boylan said.
Signage costs, enforcement concerns
Chris LeDew, the city’s chief of traffic engineering, told the committee that federal guidance from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices allows jurisdictions to post speed limit signs at city borders or neighborhood entry points rather than along every sidewalk.
“Basically, you can put up a sign and say, area wide, this is the speed limit, this is the law,” LeDew said. “The only requirement is that there is an ordinance for that jurisdiction that allows that placement of signs.”
LeDew estimated the signage would cost between $5,000 and $10,000 and require several dozen signs placed at major entry points into Jacksonville.
JSO Chief of Patrol Support JD Stronko raised concerns about whether border signage alone would be sufficient for real-world enforcement.
“You’re gonna have a child who’s gonna ride out of his garage most likely into a neighborhood and never pass these signs,” Stronko said. “Maybe not for weeks he won’t have seen these signs, their parents won’t see these signs.”
Council Member Ron Salem echoed those concerns, saying he relies on JSO — not legal counsel — to determine enforceability.
“I don’t see how I can support the bill the way that it is today,” Salem said.
A representative from the Office of General Counsel, countered that the border signage approach is legally sufficient.
“It is the position of the Office of General Counsel that the signage as articulated by Council Member Boylan and Chief LeDew is sufficient to render this an enforceable ordinance,” she said.
Retailers, education efforts
A key component of the bill requires that within 60 days of the ordinance taking effect, local brick-and-mortar e-bike retailers post safety signage at points of sale directing customers to information about local and state e-bike laws.
Matt Fall, with the city’s Transportation Planning Division, said his department is prepared to support those efforts.
“The Transportation Planning Division is happy to develop and provide all of that signage,” Fall said. “We’re happy to maintain the educational material and the webpage as proposed in the ordinance. We’re happy to provide retailers with a standardized, printable sign with a QR code that directs e-bike customers to current information regarding local and state e-bike laws.”
Boylan noted the 60-day window is strategic, putting the education push in place before the holiday shopping season.
“You can rest assured e-bikes at Christmas will be a big deal and we’re gonna see a huge infusion of these bikes in our communities,” he said.
Council Member Ju’Coby Pittman suggested broadening outreach beyond retailers, potentially partnering with Duval County Public Schools, libraries and other community organizations to reach young riders directly.
Urgency behind the bill
Council Member Tyrona Clark-Murray urged her colleagues to look past the signage debate and focus on the human cost of inaction.
“Children and adults are losing their lives using these bikes, and we — Duval County — don’t have any legislation regarding regulation of them,” she said. “The most important part is to put some legislation in to regulate so that kids aren’t dying.”
Boylan cited data from Wolfson Children’s Hospital projecting e-bike injuries in the area could reach 194 cases, compared to 23 just three or four years ago. He also referenced conversations with a UF Health official who chairs a national committee focused on e-bike safety and expressed support for the bill.
“Are we okay with the fact that the only qualification a child needs in order to get on an e-bike and drive it on a street almost 30 miles per hour is that their feet can reach the pedal?” Boylan said. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Next steps
The bill now moves forward as substituted for a full council vote. Boylan acknowledged the ordinance is imperfect but said it represents a necessary first step.
“This is a start,” he said. “It’s not a perfect bill, but when people are asking us what are we gonna do about e-bikes, this is the first step in that process.”
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