Shortly following the publication of my last column, staff at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reached out to my office regarding resources that the agency has available to help Florida residents and communities navigate the growing use of e-mobility. In this week’s column, I’d like to share some of those resources with you and ways you can get involved. 

FDOT has a webpage on its website solely dedicated to providing safety guidance on micromobility devices (i.e., e-bikes and e-scooters). Specifically, resources include information on laws governing e-bikes, tips for purchasing an e-bike, social media messaging, and informational brochures.  

The brochures provide helpful safety information and guidance, including what constitutes a legal e-bike, speed limits, where you can ride, safety gear, to the general public, parents and students. FDOT’s webpage is designed for and is encouraged to be shared with local partners, community groups and all riders. The webpage can be accessed via the following link: https://www.fdot.gov/d5safety/office-of-safety-resources/e-bike-safety.  

My office was also informed that FDOT is working on creating an e-bike training program that they will be bringing to local middle and high schools, where they anticipate school visits to begin prior to the end of this school year.  

If you are involved with a local school in any capacity — whether a teacher, administrator, parent, or volunteer — and would be interested in potentially having FDOT visit your school, I would encourage you to contact my office so that I can express that with the agency as they finalize their list of school visits.  

I believe that partnering with our local schools is a great way to not only educate students and adults but also grant the opportunity for them to educate others around them on what they learned.  

FDOT’s safety and operations teams offer technical assistance for any questions, concerns or locations (i.e., where to ride) that are raised in the district as related to e-mobility. Should you have any questions or concerns, I would encourage you to contact my office so that my team can assist with connecting with FDOT to provide clarification you need to get out and ride your e-bike.  

As an aviator, one of the things I love most about transportation is its never-ending innovations in new technology. However, oftentimes new laws need to be implemented to “catch up” with these new technologies. E-mobility is no exception. By partnering with FDOT and partners in our local community, I strongly believe that we can navigate this new technology together for all riders to enjoy safely.