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Freeport council hears safety concerns over e-bikes, asks staff to review county draft ordinance
Summary
Council members and county staff discussed growing safety concerns about higher-speed e-bikes at parks and multi-use paths. County staff said Florida law treats e-bikes like bicycles and offered to share a county draft ordinance for Freeport review in late May.
Council members on April 23 discussed growing safety risks posed by modern electric bicycles and directed staff to review state law and a county draft ordinance before returning with local recommendations.
The council’s parks staff opened the conversation saying the city has received multiple calls about e-bikes at the sports complex and wanted direction on how to respond. Council members asked whether Florida statute or an existing county ordinance would govern local restrictions.
Clay (county staff) told the council that "Florida law makes e-bikes pretty straightforward" and that, under state law, e-bikes are generally treated the same as bicycles. "They cannot be treated any different than any self-propelled motorcycle or motorized. They are the same thing as a bicycle," Clay said, explaining why the county’s approach has been to limit bicycle (including e-bike) use to designated roadways rather than fields or other park areas.
Council members and Clay also raised concerns about newer e-bikes’ higher top speeds and how that performance changes safety and congestion on multi-use paths. One council member said newer e-bikes can be "a menace," arguing that collisions at higher speeds cause greater harm, and others cited congested corridors such as Hammock Bay and Shipyard Road as places with particular risk.
Clay described a multifaceted approach under consideration: working with homeowners’ associations on private-path restrictions, using design measures such as striping or dedicated lanes in high-traffic areas, and considering speed or safety-rating provisions in ordinance language. He offered to bring the county’s draft e-bike ordinance — which is scheduled for county review in May — to Freeport staff and council for consideration and suggested the council look at it at the end of May.
The council provided direction for city staff (named staff and Clay) to review state statute and the county draft and return with recommended language to consider for Freeport ordinances. No local ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the discussion established next steps and an expected timeline for city review.
