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Sheriff's office outlines Pinellas Trail safety work, urges public to call when they see violations
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Summary
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and Dunedin staff reviewed trail rules, enforcement limits and recent initiatives. Deputies said e-dirt bikes and nighttime use present enforcement challenges and urged residents to report incidents promptly; Forward Pinellas and the county control trail-wide policy.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office leaders briefed the Dunedin City Commission on Sept. 2 about safety and enforcement on the Pinellas Trail, the regional multiuse path that runs through Dunedin.
Lieutenant A.J. Scarpati and Captain Brandon Harvey of the sheriff's North District Station described the law enforcement approach: deputies conduct community-policing patrols on bicycles and utility vehicles, coordinate with other agencies through a Forward Pinellas-led Trail Security Task Force, and emphasize education combined with targeted enforcement. The sheriff's staff said they made a series of stops focused on electric bicycles ("e-bikes") and e-dirt bikes during a recent five-month patrol window; deputies reported seven stops related to e-bikes in that period and said most contacts were handled through warnings and parental follow-up when juveniles were involved.
Key legal points and limits: Under Florida statute, a bicycle and an e-bike are defined and three e-bike classes are recognized; statutes allow e-bikes on trails if they meet power (750-watt maximum) and speed (28 mph) limits. The Pinellas Trail itself is administered by Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources and is subject to county park hours (generally daylight to sunset), a county rule against motorized vehicles on the trail, and county signage about speed and pedestrian right-of-way. Sheriff's presenters explained that many trail signs are advisory and some posted limits (for example, the trail's 20 mph sign) are operational rules rather than an easy speed limit to enforce with radar. The greatest enforcement leverage, speakers said, is to catch behaviors that violate existing state law or county ordinance (unregistered motor vehicles such as e-dirt bikes, operation without lights at night, reckless conduct or running stop signs).
Why it matters: The Pinellas Trail is heavily used in Dunedin (presenters cited about 400,000 entries in the city in 2024 and an average 160,000 monthly users countywide), and commissioners said perceptions of unsafe conduct on the trail are generating frequent resident concern. Sheriff's office leaders said the trail sees the highest usage in Dunedin and urged the public to call 911 for in-progress dangerous behavior or the nonemergency line for other complaints; deputies also flagged that many complaints are voiced on social media rather than reported through dispatch, making enforcement harder.
Commission requests and next steps: Commissioners asked the sheriff's office for citation data and for continued patrols; staff noted Forward Pinellas is working on a targeted downtown study (Skinner Blvd to Scotland) that could examine separation of pedestrian and bicycle flows and signage. Commissioners recommended continued county engagement through Forward Pinellas and said they want the county and Forward Pinellas to consider study grants and design changes in the busiest downtown segment of the trail.
Ending: Sheriff's Office leaders said they plan continued education-focused patrols and directed residents to use 911 or the nonemergency dispatch line to report dangerous or persistent problems on the trail so deputies can respond in time.
