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Mayor’s Message

ith the summer months upon us, I’m sure many of us have already made
plans to slow down our pace and maybe even spend some time away
W from the heat and humidity. This is also a time when getting a
reservation at a restaurant or a seat at the movie theater should be a little easier. It’s
also traditionally a time when traffic is a little lighter.
Helping reduce traffic congestion was part of the theory behind electric scooters.
Would fewer people drive their cars and instead use the scooter as an alternative?
Since its inception last fall, some 1 million rides have been logged in the city. With
their popularity, scooters have removed traffic that would have occurred on our
congested streets. Some residents use scooters for short trips rather than driving their
car, while some tourists have used scooters instead of taxis or ride-share applications.
Nonetheless, electric scooters have deeply divided public opinion. Many love their
convenience, but many others see them as a dangerous nuisance. At the beginning,
state law only allowed them to travel on the sidewalks. But now, things have changed.

Dean Trantalis Legislators in Tallahassee recently gave cities greater authority to regulate scooters.
Mayor As a result, the rest of the City Commission and I have instructed our staff and legal
City of Fort Lauderdale team to come up with some stronger rules ensuring our streets and sidewalks are as
safe as possible.
So, with the new law, what does the city plan to do to improve safety?
First, we want to protect pedestrians on the beach and Las Olas. We are looking to
prohibit the use of scooters on the sidewalks in those two areas. Instead, we would
require they be ridden in the bike lanes. This is a very needed change because these
areas are where most of our complaints occur.
Second, staff is working on ordinance language to better utilize technology built into
the scooters. They are considering if we could create zones with special speed limits
and prohibitions on parking.

We also are looking at prohibiting the parking of scooters on sidewalks that are less
than 5 feet wide. And, we would update the “high-impact event ordinance” that we
used to prohibit scooters on the barrier island during Spring Break. We cannot allow
scooters to interfere with the quality of life many enjoy through the pedestrian
Office Contact: experience on our beach and in our shopping districts.
Scott Wyman
Assistant to the Mayor Finally, staff is drafting an overhaul of the permitting process for the companies
swyman@fortlauderdale.gov offering scooters in the city.
Phone: 954.828.5004 A set of proposed regulations should be ready for the City Commission to consider
shortly after we return from our summer break in late August.
Soccer deal signed
Before the commission went on its summer recess, we finalized the long-term deal
with soccer superstar David Beckham and his Inter Miami franchise. The deal will
transform the 64-acre Lockhart stadium site into something truly incredible, with
Beckham’s soccer group shouldering the cost. This is the beginning of an exciting
future for Fort Lauderdale that will bring more recreation and sports opportunities to
our residents.

8 HARBOR BEACH Magazine | www.harborbeach.org