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Tag: golf cart regulations

City registration coming for golf cart owners

Golf cart regulations considered

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners are trying to figure out a way to regulate golf carts, but they’re split on how to enact regulations without penalizing residents.

At a March 8 work session, Holmes Beach commissioners continued a discussion on enacting a registration program for golf carts that would only allow homesteaded city residents to drive them within city limits and give the operation of the vehicles on city streets a sunset period.

A golf cart is defined as being capable of traveling up to 20 mph and is not required to be registered with the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. In contrast, a low-speed vehicle (LSV) may look similar to a golf cart, but can travel at speeds up to 25 mph and must have a state-issued license plate and insurance. Golf carts, unlike LSVs, are only allowed to be driven in the city of Holmes Beach, not in Anna Maria or Bradenton Beach.

If the new regulations pass, golf carts in Holmes Beach will be required to have a registration issued by the city. They would need to have insurance in case of an accident and would be allowed to be operated only during daylight hours, a custom commonly practiced now. The registration would be a one-time issue for residents because the operation of golf carts in the city would have a sunset period of five years.

Though the sunset period was initially proposed by city staff at 10 years, commissioners agreed 3-2 to lower the sunset period to five years, after which the vehicles would not be allowed to be operated in the city. The exception would be for operation at the Key Royale Golf Course.

With an eye toward preventing golf carts – which don’t have the same safety features as an LSV – from being rented to visitors, Mayor Judy Titsworth said she’d like to make whatever regulations are adopted by the city as painless as possible for residents. She also said she’s unconcerned with having golf cart owners pay for the registration, especially since it’s a one-time expense, one that she said the city could potentially absorb.

If the regulations pass a vote during a regular commission meeting, City Attorney Erica Augello said that commissioners should set a deadline for golf cart registration, suggesting a three-month deadline from the time the regulations are passed. No golf carts would be allowed to be registered in the city after that date and no golf carts could be operated in Holmes Beach legally without the registration.

After the meeting concluded, Commissioner Pat Morton said he’s changed his stance on the potential for golf cart regulations. Rather than requiring current owners to have a host of new equipment placed on the carts for them to operate legally, Morton said he’d rather grandfather in current golf carts for homesteaded residents.

“I don’t want to penalize the residents,” Morton told The Sun.

Adding to what he’d like to see happen, Morton said he’d prefer to have golf carts registered to homesteaded residents for the lifetime of the golf cart. After the golf carts die, a new one couldn’t be purchased.

The regulations will go back before commissioners for further discussion at a future meeting.

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LSV talks proceed slowly

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners continue to discuss making the roads safer through Holmes Beach, particularly for drivers of cars, golf carts and low-speed vehicles (LSVs). Though commissioners made one decision, talks are planned to continue at a future work session.

When commissioners met on Oct. 26 for a work session, Mayor Judy Titsworth warned them that there is only so much they’re going to be able to do to regulate the use of LSVs in the city because they are considered vehicles by the state. She advised them instead to focus on the golf cart/LSV moratorium they enacted which involves new rental businesses coming to the city.

Police Chief Bill Tokajer said for safety purposes, the things he’d like to see reinforced through commission action is to have individual seatbelts on vehicles for each passenger, require the vehicles to be operated only by licensed drivers, remind drivers that they’re not allowed to operate golf carts and LSVs in bike lanes or on Manatee Avenue, East Bay Drive, or on the beach and require child restraints for small children. If approved by commissioners, those reminders to drivers will go on a sticker to be placed on rental vehicles as a visual reminder to those operating them in Holmes Beach.

Commissioners also are considering pushing the operation of golf carts and LSVs to roads in the city with a speed limit of 25 mph or less. To do that, commissioners also will need to agree to lower the speed limit in one section of Gulf Drive along the beach from 35 mph to 25 mph.

While commissioners agreed that each passenger needs to have an individual seatbelt, which also will limit the number of riders on the vehicles to the number of seats there are, all other considerations were continued to a future work session for further discussion.

Since commissioners began discussions on the regulation of golf carts, LSVs and rental businesses, some questions have been raised by the community about where the vehicles currently can be operated and whether trying to move the vehicles to more residential roads is a good idea.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said she is in favor of moving the operation of slower-moving vehicles to roads with a 25 mph speed limit to give motor vehicle drivers traveling along Marina and Palm drives some relief and hopefully lessen road rage in the city.

Addressing the issue of LSVs and golf carts not being allowed on state roads, Tokajer said he’s received memos from both the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Highway Patrol ruling that the vehicles are not allowed to be operated on state roads, though they can cross them. The state roads in Holmes Beach are Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive. Because the vehicles are not allowed to be operated on Manatee Avenue, Tokajer added that they should not be driven across the Anna Maria Island Bridge.

Under state law, counties and local municipalities are allowed to prohibit the operation of LSVs within their jurisdiction on roads where the operation of those vehicles is determined to not be safe.

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cart accident

Golf carts causing frustration, accidents

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Transportation.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – With parking at a premium on the Island, many visitors are turning to golf cart rentals for vacation transportation, and the increase is causing frustration for visitors and residents and an increase in accidents.

“I don’t understand how it’s legal to drive these things on the road,” said Linda Ruckman of Anna Maria. “If the speed limit is 35 and these carts only go 20 miles per hour, how is that legal? I work in Bradenton Beach and it takes forever to get there because I’m always stuck behind at least one cart going well below the speed limit.”

Unfortunately for Ruckman and others annoyed by the carts driving under the speed limit, there is little that can be done. Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz of the Bradenton Beach Police Department and Chief William Tokajer of the Holmes Beach Police Department both state that it is legal for the carts to drive under the speed limit as long as they are properly registered and operated by a licensed driver.

“Legally, they are OK at any speed, so there isn’t much any of the police departments can do about that,” Tokajer said, noting that there have been more cart-related accidents this year than normal, including a hit and run that left a woman driving a golf cart in serious condition requiring surgery.

“Because of the uptick in accidents, our department is currently running enhanced enforcement,” he said. “We’re checking for seatbelts being buckled, child seat use and other violations. If you aren’t using the carts properly and safely, you will be ticketed.”

“We recently had a collision where the cart driver was ejected from the cart because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt,” Diaz said. “We treat golf carts just like higher speed vehicles, they are subject to the same laws, so even though they may be going slower than people would like, if they merge into the bike lane to wave cars past, they are committing a traffic offense and will be pulled over.”

Tokajer echoed Diaz’ statement, saying his department will ticket carts driving in the bike lane.

Cart accident
A cart came to rest on a dune over 200 feet from the scene of a collision with a sedan at the intersection of Gulf Drive and Cortez Road in Bradenton Beach. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

The lack of golf cart rentals also is causing frustration for visitors. Jamie Carte, who is staying with his wife and two children in Bradenton Beach, decided to fly into Tampa and have a friend in the area drive them to the Island. The plan was to rent a golf cart since the family had no intentions of leaving the Island during their stay. Unfortunately, what should have been an easy fix turned into a big headache for the family. 

“It took a lot of searching to even find a cart on a week’s notice, but once we did it looked like it was going to be great. It was parked in front of our rental unit when we arrived and looked brand new,” said Carte, whose experience took an unfortunate turn for the worse.

Golf cart pic
Jamie Carte and family with their golf cart in Bradenton Beach. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

“The second time we jumped on the cart, it broke down a block from the condo,” he said. “The rental company came and picked it up then called the next day and said it couldn’t be easily fixed and no replacement was available.”

After being issued a full refund, it took the Carte family two days of searching to secure another golf cart, which left them to rely solely on public transportation for almost half of their stay on the Island.

Grace period given for golf cart seatbelts

Grace period given for golf cart seatbelts

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – If you live in Holmes Beach and drive a regular golf cart around town, you now need seatbelts for yourself and every passenger.

Commissioners voted to approve a final reading of an ordinance requiring all golf carts to have seatbelts for drivers and passengers. The ordinance also requires that all children riding in the golf cart be strapped into a child restraint seat appropriate to their size, just like they are in a car.

To help residents understand the new requirements and implement the necessary changes to their golf carts, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that no tickets will be given to golf cart drivers whose vehicles are not equipped with seatbelts for a five-month period. The grace period is to allow owners time to get seatbelts installed and educate the public on just what the new ordinance means for them. The grace period began March 26.

Tokajer noted that residents can get a kit typically for less than $100 to install the seatbelts themselves or take the golf cart to a repair shop where they can be professionally installed.

The ordinance also clarifies language about where golf carts can be driven in the city. Golf carts are only allowed on streets with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour or lower. The regulations for low speed vehicles – those that are registered with the state, have a license plate and insurance – remain unchanged. Low speed vehicles can be driven through the city on streets with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or lower. A driver’s license is required to operate all golf carts and low speed vehicles in Holmes Beach.

For the purposes of the ordinance, a golf cart is considered a golf cart only if it does not have a license plate and insurance. If a golf cart is registered, it’s considered a low speed vehicle. Holmes Beach is the only Island city that allows unregistered golf carts to be driven on the road.

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