Story thread · 2 reports / 1 sources

Pinellas has few rules for e-bikes. Could that soon change?

tampabay.com · 3hShare

Pinellas County commissioners say they’ve all had a close call with reckless riders of electric bicycles and “e-motos,” a growing class of vehicle that’s not quite a bike and not quite a motorcycle, often seen whizzing down paths and sidewalks. At a workshop Thursday, they shared those stories. Kathleen Peters was cut off by a child riding faster than 30 mph on Gulf Boulevard. He looked to be 10 or 11 years old, she said. County attorney Don Crowell was driving at dawn on East Bay Drive when a wrong-way e-biker nearly struck him head on. Commission chairperson Dave Eggers said a young kid or teen on an e-bike who cut him off in traffic gave him the middle finger — twice. “This is a serious issue not to be taken lightly,” Eggers said. The question of how to regulate e-bikes has come up before, but commissioners had tabled their discussion until the fate of the Florida Legislature’s e-bike safety bill was clear. In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure that had unanimously passed bo

First report: Dave Eggers wins reelection for Pinellas County Commission — tampabay.com, 1d