Jupiter Police outline e‑bike safety campaign, propose online training and possible ordinances

Acting Chief Don Hennessy of the Jupiter Police Department presented an update to the Town Council on e‑bike safety, enforcement and proposed next steps. He said the department has carried out an education‑and‑enforcement campaign since March 2025 that included roughly 145 traffic stops and 178 citations or warnings, and that officers recorded seven crashes involving e‑bikes that resulted in eight injuries. The department has held standalone safety events at least six times, attended school drop‑off events and integrated e‑bike outreach into town festivals and other community activities.

Hennessy described a planned online e‑bike training curriculum the department is developing with the information services and community relations teams. The curriculum, he said, will include e‑bike classification, maintenance, applicable laws, crash‑avoidance techniques and a short exam; successful participants will receive proof of completion. He proposed distribution strategies such as QR codes given by local bike shops and placement of the training link at school bike racks.

The chief also described the department's digital outreach: 41 social media posts since March 2025 with about 200,000 views across municipal platforms and roughly 2,538 visits to the department's e‑bike web pages during the same period. Hennessy said those metrics show broad reach but noted gaps in public familiarity with e‑bike laws.

Council members pressed for specifics. One member asked for a target date for the training program; Hennessy said the department expects to finish the curriculum within months and will include status updates in routine weekly reports. Councilors also raised how juvenile citations are handled; Hennessy said currently the citations are state bicycle citations issued to the rider (including minors) and that parents are typically notified at the scene. There is no automatic escalation in state law for repeat bicycle citations, though the chief said an ordinance could build in first‑offense/second‑offense escalations and parental notification requirements.

Several councilors urged that the training include parents and guardians so adults understand the program and can reinforce safe behavior. The chief confirmed the training will be free and open to all residents, not limited to youth.

Hennessy said the department is monitoring recent state legislation that affects municipal authority on e‑bike rules. He named Senate Bill 462 (effective July 2025) as giving municipalities the authority to set minimum age limits and require riders to carry government‑issued identification; he also said staff are monitoring House Bill 243, which addresses e‑bike modification restrictions, Class 3 licensing possibilities and inclusion of e‑bike content in driver’s‑education curricula.

The council did not take an ordinance vote; members expressed broad support for completing the training program and then considering ordinance language that could include age limits, citation processes and possible requirements linking training completion to legal operation for minors. The chief and staff will continue to work with the town attorney’s office and report back.