St. Augustine commissioners weigh tighter rules for pedicabs, franchises and horse carriages

St. Augustine commissioners held a workshop to discuss a proposed overhaul of the city's vehicle-for-hire and franchise ordinances, with staff asking for direction on caps, fees, penalties and animal-welfare rules and dozens of local operators and residents weighing in.

Assistant City Manager Ruben Franklin told the commission staff had reviewed the ordinances and prepared redlines and background tabs showing roughly 56 registered vehicle-for-hire businesses, about 20 businesses that would qualify as the proposed "tier 2" franchise, and about 15 licensed pedicab operators. He said staff's draft would raise certain insurance thresholds, add impoundment for unlicensed operators and create an administrator to log and enforce licenses.

The discussion centered on several cross-cutting decisions: how many pedicab operators and vehicles to permit in the historic district, whether to grandfather existing operators, how high insurance minimums should be, the size of franchise fees, and how to protect horses from heat and overwork.

Several small operators said they support regulation if it is enforced, but urged the commission not to adopt rules that would put them out of business. "We're not the problem," said Joshua Luke, a local…