Florida Legislature passes bills on e-bike safety, arming professors and more
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People ride electric bikes in Miami Beach. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The Florida Legislature has passed a slew of bills slowing down e-bikers, mandating new voter ID rules and allowing trained college staff to carry guns on campus.
The big picture: If signed into law, the bills could impact every corner of South Florida, from the street to the ballot box.
Zoom in: Here are some of the bills Gov. Ron DeSantis will consider.
Voter ID changes: If signed into law, Floridians would have to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote, according to Axios Tampa Bay.
- Under the bill, which has already received support from DeSantis, existing voters would have their citizenship checked against government databases.
- It would also prohibit the use of student IDs and retirement center IDs as forms of identification when voting.
Armed college staff: A bill allowing professors and campus staff at state colleges to train as "guardians" and carry guns is modeled after the K-12 guardian program, passed after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
- If a college opts into the program, guardians would undergo training, a psychological evaluation and random drug tests, per the Sentinel.
- DeSantis supports the bill, and his budget proposal included $6 million to implement the program.
E-bike safety: Riders can't go faster than 10 mph when within 50 feet of a pedestrian under Senate Bill 382, which also creates a task force to track incidents and recommend further regulations, per USA TODAY Network-Florida.
- E-bike crashes across Miami-Dade County have led cities to pass restrictions on their use, including speed-limit restrictions on Doral sidewalks and an all-out ban in Key Biscayne.
- E-bikes are considered bicycles under Florida law and can be ridden on sidewalks, unless restricted by a city, per the outlet.
- Miami restricts bikes on Southwest 8th Street between 4th Avenue and Tamiami Canal Road. Tampa blocks it in business districts, per USA Today.
Gas-powered leaf-blowers: Local bans on gas-powered lawn equipment — already in effect in cities across South Florida due to environmental and noise concerns — would be undone if Senate Bill 290 is signed into law, the Miami Herald reports.