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Cocoa Beach commission asks staff to draft e-bike rules after safety data and neighborhood complaints
Summary
Following police data showing electric bikes traveling up to 32 mph on sidewalks, the commission asked staff and the city attorney to draft enforceable local rules (starting with a 15 mph cap and school‑corridor focus) and to pair enforcement with education for students and parents.
Cocoa Beach commissioners directed city staff to develop an ordinance addressing electric bicycles and similar devices after the police department presented measurements showing high sidewalk speeds and after multiple residents reported safety problems.
Wes Mullins, Cocoa Beach police chief, told the commission that an observational speed study on Minuteman Causeway recorded an average e-bike speed near 21–22 mph and top speeds near 32 mph on sidewalks. Mullins said officers had observed many noncompliant behaviors: riders without helmets, multiple riders per bicycle, and nighttime operation without lights.
The commission discussed where rules should apply, enforcement mechanics and penalties. Commissioners and the chief agreed that enforcement needs clear legal footing and an enforceable ordinance. City Attorney staff noted state law (Florida Statute 316.008) limits local speed regulation of devices on sidewalks to a 15 mph ceiling when a jurisdiction regulates the use of electric bicycles or similar devices in sidewalk areas.
Commissioners asked staff to draft a targeted regulatory approach rather than a citywide ban. Several commissioners recommended testing limits on Minuteman Causeway and other high‑use corridors (Cedar and Atlantic-in-Catalina areas were named) and combining enforcement with education programs at Cocoa Beach High School. Suggestions from commissioners and the public included: requiring helmets for under‑16 riders, mandating lights for nighttime operation, and requiring riders to slow to walking speed when passing pedestrians.
Residents and commissioners also raised concerns about safety on narrow bike lanes adjacent to high-speed traffic (for example, on A1A) and the difficulty of enforcing sidewalk use versus bike-lane use in areas where bike lanes exist.
Chief Mullins told the commission that officers prefer an incremental approach that emphasizes warnings and education at first. The commission asked the city attorney and police to develop draft language, an enforcement plan and an education campaign for review at a future meeting.
No ordinance was adopted at Tuesday’s meeting; commissioners said they want staff to return with proposed language, enforcement options and an outreach timeline.
