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Commission accepts scooter program status report after resident complaints; city to review enforcement options
Summary
Staff presented a report on the city's micromobility program; Dr. Jackson said he has collected dozens of scooters left on his private property and urged enforcement of fines. The commission accepted the status report and directed the attorney to review enforcement steps and work with Spin on geo‑fencing.
The commission accepted a staff status report on the city's authorized scooter program on April 15 after public comment and an exchange with a Spin representative about complaints and contract enforcement.
Mike Alfano and other staff reviewed program history, usage statistics and the city's regulatory tools, including no-ride/no-park geo-fences. Dr. Jackson, who identified himself as a student-housing/property owner near campus, told commissioners he has been collecting scooters left on his property for years and said the city has not enforced the contract's penalties. "From June 24 to [now] I've collected a total of 49 scooters," he said, adding that contractual language calls for vendor penalties when scooters are left on private property.
Bruno Lopez, who handles government partnerships for Spin on the East Coast, said Spin has provided more than 600,000 rides in Tallahassee since 2019 and described a low incident rate in Spin's data. "In those 600,000 rides we only have eight reported incidents," Lopez said, and he spelled out investments Spin has made in local operations.
Staff described the enforcement process: citizens call the city's micro-mobility coordinator or customer service with an address; staff alerts the vendor and the vendor has a specified short period to remove the scooter, or the city may collect it and charge fees. City staff said they would provide a log of reported abandoned-scooter calls and response actions for the commission to review and that the city attorney will examine whether past contractual fines have been correctly applied and whether additional enforcement is warranted.
The commission voted unanimously to accept the status report. Commissioners urged staff and the vendor to work with property owners and to consider physical 'parking' solutions and clearer complaint workflows to reduce sidewalk clutter.
What’s next: The city attorney will review enforcement options and the commission asked staff to provide a log of calls and responses and to pursue geo-fencing and parking solutions with the vendor.
