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Daytona redevelopment board backs $24,000 CRA sponsorship for Tipsy Carts
Summary
The board voted to recommend that the Community Redevelopment Agency fund a one‑year, $24,000 sponsorship to support an on‑demand electric cart service on the beachside; the motion passed after public comment and discussion about range, insurance and boundaries.
The redevelopment board recommended that the Community Redevelopment Agency fund a one‑year, $24,000 sponsorship for Tipsy Carts, an electric on‑demand cart service, after a presentation by the company’s owner and a brief discussion of operations and safeguards.
Zachary, owner of Tipsy Carts, told the board that the company provides free rides within roughly a one‑mile radius on the beachside — including Main Street, Seabreeze and A1A — and that vehicles are electric Polaris GEM carts “fully enclosed for safety and comfort.” He said drivers are paid by gratuities and that a $24,000 sponsorship would guarantee one vehicle’s service across the route for a year.
Board members asked about operational details and public safety. Darren asked whether the operator had coordinated with the police department and about parking and liability insurance; a board member said past city requirements for similar services required bonding and insurance (the board referenced an earlier requirement used for the “hop cycle” service). Zachary said vehicles average about 40 miles per charge and typically operate from mid‑afternoon through at least midnight on weekdays and until about 2 a.m. on weekend nights; charging a depleted vehicle takes about seven to eight hours.
Public comments included John Nicholson, who said the one‑mile radius would not reach some hotels and questioned whether the service should be used to ferry patrons home. Board members and other speakers clarified that the CRA sponsorship would focus on service within the CRA boundaries — Main Street, CRA and South Atlantic — and that pickup points would be the funded program’s operational limit; staff said the city would develop tracking and reporting so trips and ridership can be monitored.
A motion to recommend the $24,000 sponsorship to the CRA was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The board directed staff to include reporting requirements and to work through operational details with the operator, including boundaries, parking coordination and verification of insurance and any bonding needed.
