Senate panel backs electric bike task force bill, but wants e-scooters included

A bill calling for the establishment of an Electric Bicycle Task Force is continuing to roll through the Senate, now earning approval from the Fiscal Policy Committee.

But there were many questions as to why an original component of the measure addressing electric scooter regulations is no longer part of the bill.

Two other Senate Committees have OK’d the measure (SB 382), which aims to provide safety fixes as more and more accidents involving e-bikes are being reported in Florida.

Michelle Lynch of Tampa addressed the Committee and recounted how her son Connor Lynch was killed in an accident in 2024. He borrowed an e-scooter from a friend and then collided with a car. The handlebars of the scooter damaged his chest, leading to the University of South Florida student’s death.

“We do not have clear consistent rules that govern e-scooters. The current proposed bill takes important steps forward. Add e-scooters back in. They’re just as common as e-bikes and just as dangerous as e-bikes,” Lynch said.

Sen. Keith Truenow, a Tavares Republican, is sponsoring the bill, but was absent from Thursday’s Committee meeting. Sen. Tom Leek, a St. Augustine Republican, handled the bill presentation, but acknowledged he didn’t know why provisions on e-scooters were removed.

Other Committee members were equally mystified and said they want to see that element returned.

The bill calls for increased regulation and data collection on the vehicles. It would establish an “Electric Bicycle Task Force” to collect data on e-bike accidents, provide recommendations on enforcement, and submit a report in the Fall to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The measure now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

A similar bill (HB 243) co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Yvette Benarroch of Naples and Omar Blanco of Miami has also reached the House floor.