JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s proposed e-bike ordinance is headed for a rewrite after Councilman Michael Boylan met Monday with stakeholders and members of the public to discuss concerns about enforcement and how the proposed rules would work in practice.
Boylan said the legislation was deferred in committees as possible amendments and a substitute are developed for consideration in the coming weeks. Any changes would still require committee votes and approval by the full City Council before they could take effect.
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The proposal comes as Wolfson Children’s Hospital reports a sharp rise in serious injuries tied to e-bike and e-scooter crashes.
Wolfson Trauma Center patient totals (serious cases):
- 2022: 3 patients
- 2023: 23 patients
- 2024: 74 patients
- 2025: 115 patients
- 2026 (Jan. 1–July 30): 106 patients
Wolfson says these numbers reflect patients injured badly enough to be transferred to Wolfson for care and/or admitted to the hospital.
Public comment at City Council meetings has reflected competing concerns. Some residents have urged the city to pass the ordinance and strengthen rules around sidewalk riding and safety.
“E-bikes, scooters and even motorcycles … think the sidewalks are extra two way highways,” one speaker said during a recent meeting.
Others have warned that stricter rules could create unintended consequences, particularly for students who use e-bikes as transportation.
“This is a popular mode of transportation at this moment, so by adding restrictions you are limiting their access to get to and from school,” another speaker said.
Boylan said discussions helped shape the proposed changes. “It boiled down to essentially two issues — number one, they’re concerned about the age limit and then secondly with respect to the speed limit,” Boylan said.
Boylan said he intends to propose removing the ordinance’s age-limit language and to adjust the sidewalk speed limit to align with state law, which he said sets a 15 mph limit in sidewalk areas. He said the goal is to craft rules that are clear and workable, and he added that an education-focused approach is the goal that remains, including a possible safety video or class option for some first-time offenders.
Enforcement questions have also surfaced elsewhere in Florida. Our sister station in Orlando reported that in Deltona an ordinance banning minors under 18 from riding e-bikes and e-scooters was suspended days after Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said his office would not enforce it and questioned whether the age restriction would hold up in court.
JSO has said it does not comment on proposed legislation, but provided News4JAX a statement that said in part:
“We are currently reviewing the bill to determine whether it provides any useful enforcement mechanisms. In the meantime, our agency will continue to actively enforce pre-existing laws and regulations governing the operation of e-bikes throughout Duval County.”
Boylan said proposed changes to Jacksonville’s ordinance are expected to be considered by council committees in the weeks ahead.