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Sunny Isles Beach commissioners direct staff to draft tougher scooter rules after safety and enforcement concerns
Summary
Following resident input and staff outreach, commissioners asked staff to draft ordinance changes including a proposed minimum age (about 16), possible government‑ID requirement, sidewalk bans on interior streets, and higher fines (up to statutory maximum), plus schematic options for protected lanes.
Commissioners in the City of Sunny Isles Beach directed city staff on Jan. 15 to prepare ordinance revisions and enforcement plans aimed at reducing injuries and nuisance scooter and e‑bike use on sidewalks and interior streets.
Deputy city staff summarized a community survey of 1,874 responses showing strong support for regulation rather than an outright citywide ban: 81% favored a minimum age (most commonly 16), 72% backed a government‑issued ID requirement, and 64% supported banning scooters on sidewalks. The staff recommended a mix of higher fines, education and infrastructure changes including pilot protected scooter/bike lanes on interior streets such as North Bay Road.
Police officials described enforcement challenges: high transient scooter traffic, frequent towing of illegal electric motorcycles and repeated encounters with the same riders. “We have confiscated and towed well over a dozen” motorized e‑motos and relied on a combination of education, impoundment and selective citations for repeat offenders, one officer said.
Several commissioners pushed for stronger immediate steps. “We need to clear the sidewalks,” Commissioner Joseph (speaker S7) said, pressing for a ban on sidewalks and for the maximum civil fines when repeat offenders are identified. Commissioner Stevenson (speaker S3) said an age limit is the most practical tool to reduce school‑time scooter traffic near North Bay Road. Vice Mayor Alex Lama (speaker S8) asked staff to provide lane schematics and to propose a tiered fine structure targeted at repeat offenders.
The commission did not adopt an ordinance on the spot. Instead, they asked staff to return in February with draft ordinance language (including a recommended minimum age and ID requirement), an analysis of enforcement mechanics and costs, proposed fine schedules (staff noted statutory caps up to $500 may apply), and schematic designs for lane delineation where space allows. The city manager said the proposed changes would be coordinated with the police department and city attorney to ensure enforceability.
The direction leaves open questions about jurisdictional limitations on busy thoroughfares such as Collins Avenue and the technical eligibility for state funding for lane projects. Staff also flagged potential tree removal and other right‑of‑way impacts for some lane designs.
Next steps: staff will prepare ordinance language, a recommended fine schedule, implementation cost estimates and a map of feasible protected/painted lanes for the commission’s February meeting.
