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St. Augustine delays franchise and vehicles‑for‑hire overhaul after public outcry; schedules workshop
Summary
After hours of public comment and commissioner questions, the City Commission agreed to pause two first‑reading ordinances that would rewrite vehicles‑for‑hire and franchise rules, including new pedicab and tour‑vehicle caps and stricter animal‑welfare rules for carriage horses, and to hold a point‑by‑point workshop before a revised first reading.
The St. Augustine City Commission on March 16 paused two related first‑reading ordinances that would remap how the city regulates vehicles‑for‑hire and franchise tour operators, directing staff to organize a workshop so commissioners can consider a long list of technical changes. The measures — proposed as Ordinance 2026‑10 (Chapter 27, vehicles for hire) and Ordinance 2026‑11 (Chapter 14, franchises) — would separate transit‑style regulation from tour/franchise rules and create new tiers, caps, and insurance minimums for sightseeing vehicles, pedicabs and animal‑drawn carriages.
City staff, led by policy lead Ruben Franklin, told the commission the drafts were intended to "update and strengthen the city's regulatory framework for passenger service vehicles operating within St. Augustine," consolidating definitions, annual background checks, inspections and clearer enforcement procedures. Among the changes described were a cap that, in the draft, could allow…
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