PANAMA CITY BEACH — The City Council was accused of crushing the American dream at a meeting Thursday as they moved forward on an ordinance to tighten regulations for scooter rental companies on the beach.
Despite the council’s elimination of a handful of provisions, including the insurance requirement, helmet mandate and customer training area, several business owners and employees said the ordinance still was overreaching.
The new rules would require riders to wear reflective safety vests and carry a signed safety brochure. It also would require scooters be equipped with flags. Anyone caught not wearing the vest or without the safety brochure could be fined between $100 and $500, a civil citation that would be tried in civil court if not paid.
Colleen Swab of California Cycles said a survey of her customers found the majority would not ride if they were required to wear the safety vests.
“Please step back and look at this,” Swab said. “You are hurting the small businesses.”
Hangout by the Sea owner Olesea Siriteanu, an immigrant from Moldova, a small country adjacent to the Ukraine, said the costs incurred bringing her 30-scooter shop up to code ultimately could put her out of business.
“I came to the U.S. thinking this was the land of opportunity,” Siriteanu said. “Where is the American dream?”
Attorney Robert Sale spoke on behalf of California Cycles and urged the city to conduct further research before moving forward.
“This is an aggressive ordinance,” said Sale, who suggested staff survey other tourist towns in the state to see how they regulate scooters. “You will not find any that stern, even without the insurance or training area.”
The city of Key West, for example, requires companies to provide instruction and training to customers and post signs warning of the dangers of scooters.
Customers also must be issued a safety pamphlet and a written notice to indicate the training requirement has been met. The notice also requires renters to be advised they are not covered by insurance and are responsible for the cost of property damage and personal injury. The renter must sign and carry the document at all times while operating the vehicle.
In Sanibel Island, renters must be given a statement outlining city and state regulations and have a valid driver’s or operator’s license. Rental companies are required to post their name and number on each vehicle and must not rent to anyone deemed incompetent to operate the vehicle.
Additionally, Sanibel rental companies must carry liability insurance, with a minimum $5,000 for property damage and $10,000/$20,000 bodily injury liability per moped.
But many municipalities do not regulate scooter rentals at all.
Panama City Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman said many people who rent scooters treat them as an amusement rather than a vehicle and do not follow the rules of the road.
“It’s a free for all,” said Whitman, who hopes to have new safety standards in place before Memorial Day weekend. “It’s a vehicle, not a toy.”
Councilman Keith Curry said the ordinance was too rushed and cast the sole dissenting vote on the board.
The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading and be considered for adoption at the council’s first meeting in May.