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Oviedo council adopts ordinance widening tow rotation area and extending response time
Summary
The council adopted Ordinance No. 1765 to expand the geographic radius for tow companies eligible for the city's rotation from 5 to 15 miles and to extend allowable response time from 20 to 30 minutes; the change also requires tow vendors to notify police if they cannot reach a call.
Oviedo’s City Council on May 4 adopted Ordinance No. 1765, amending the city code that governs tow‑rotation qualifications to increase allowable response time from 20 to 30 minutes and to expand the radius for eligible tow companies from 5 to 15 miles around the intersection of State Road 434 and Mitchell Hammock Road.
City attorney Mr. Cobb told council the changes respond to a shortage of qualified local tow companies and are intended to allow more vendors to qualify for the city’s tow list while retaining police certification requirements. “We’re down to one tow company that has qualified,” Mr. Cobb said, and the ordinance also requires a tow vendor to notify police and explain why it cannot respond if it cannot meet the response time.
The ordinance amends three sections of the Oviedo Code related to scope/purpose, the call‑allocation rotation list and response requirements; staff emphasized that qualified companies will still be certified by the police department. No members of the public addressed the hearing. Deputy Mayor Natalie Tuker called for the public hearing and a motion to adopt; the motion passed on a roll call vote with all members present voting in the affirmative.
The ordinance takes effect as provided in the adopting language. Council members said the change is a pragmatic step to ensure the city can rely on multiple vendors for towing service rather than a single qualified provider. The council did not attach additional operational conditions beyond the certification and notification requirements described by staff.
