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Push to strengthen e-bike laws
Lawmakers are considering a bill to make e-bikes safer for everyone on the road. FOX 13’s Regina Gonzalez reports.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers are revving up new safety rules for electric bicycles and scooters.
Under House Bill 243, any e-bike capable of traveling more than 28 miles per hour or equipped with a motor of 750 watts or more would be reclassified as an "electric motorcycle."
That means those bikes would need to be registered, and riders would be required to have a driver’s license — and stay off sidewalks and bike lanes.
READ: St. Pete sees recent spike in e-bike crashes
The bill also takes aim at people who modify their e-bikes to make them faster than the manufacturer intended — a trend police say has become increasingly common.
What they're saying:
"Just like cars, you can put new engines in and do some upgrades — the same thing with these e-bikes," said Lt. Jason Levey with the St. Petersburg Police Department’s traffic section. "People that know what they're doing, whether you look at a YouTube video or something, they can increase the speed, which makes them now illegal. And again, they're treated as motorcycles — so they need to be registered, you have to have a license, can’t ride on a sidewalk, can’t ride in a bike lane."
Beyond enforcement, the legislation would require the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) to maintain a statewide crash database specifically tracking incidents involving e-bikes, scooters, and electric motorcycles.
Officers would also be required to note those vehicles in both long- and short-form crash reports, allowing the state to collect better data to guide future safety initiatives.
READ: St. Petersburg police investigating deadly e-bike crash
Police agencies like St. Pete PD say they welcome the effort — after reporting three e-bike-related fatalities in the past month alone, all of which investigators say involved rider error.
What's next:
The bill is expected to be discussed when the 2026 legislative session begins in January.
If approved, the new regulations — including the licensing, registration, and data-tracking measures — could take effect in 2027.
Click here to read full bill.
The Source: This article was written with information gathered by FOX 13’s Regina Gonzalez.