TAMPA — If you ride an e-bike, a scooter or even a regular bicycle in Hillsborough County, there are now speed limits with your name on them.
County commissioners voted 7-0 Tuesday for a new ordinance that caps how fast riders can go depending on where they are, bans wheelies and stunt riding, and lets deputies write fines or, in some cases, impound the ride. A companion resolution folding violations into the county's civil citation system also passed 7-0, Florida Politics reported.
The new speed limits
- 10 mph on sidewalks.
- 15 mph on shared-use paths and trails, including the Tampa Riverwalk.
- 28 mph on roads, shoulders, bike lanes and bike paths. Lower posted limits still apply.
The limits cover traditional bicycles as well as e-bikes, scooters and other micromobility devices. Riders also can't modify a bike or scooter to go faster than it was designed to, according to 10 Tampa Bay.
What else is banned or required
The ordinance outlaws wheelies, stunt riding, street takeovers and towing another rider or device. Riders have to yield to pedestrians, give a verbal warning before passing, and generally can't ride more than two abreast outside designated bike paths. Bikes and scooters have to meet equipment rules such as working brakes, reflectors and lights.
Parents could be on the hook financially after a child's second violation.
Fines start later. Warnings come first
Deputies say they won't open with a ticket blitz. The county and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office have committed to an education campaign first, working with bike and scooter shops, community groups and Hillsborough County schools.
After that, civil fines start at $50 for a first offense and climb to $500 for repeat violations, and habitual offenders could have their device impounded, FOX 13 reported. Certain offenses can also carry criminal penalties. The county hasn't said when warnings will give way to fines.
Does it apply in Tampa?
The rules apply countywide, including in Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City, except where a city already has its own rules covering the same conduct, according to Florida Politics. Tampa Police Deputy Chief Patrick Messmer told commissioners the city supports the ordinance as written and expects to use the same language, and Commissioner Harry Cohen said Tampa City Council is expected to take up matching rules in about six to eight weeks.
“We believe that continuity throughout the county would be beneficial for the citizens, so they're not facing different rules when they enter the city limits rather than the outside,” Messmer said.
Why now
Sheriff's Office Col. David Arthur told commissioners that e-bike and scooter crashes this year, including ones with injuries, have already doubled last year's total.
“Our goal is straightforward: prevent injuries and make these shared spaces safer for everyone,” Arthur said.
Tampa General Hospital's trauma team has seen the same trend. Alex Roder, a nurse with the hospital's trauma injury prevention program, said TGH treated 842 patients with serious micromobility injuries from January 2024 through September 2026, and cases in the first nine months of the year jumped 119%, from 145 in 2024 to 317 this year.
“What's particularly concerning is how quickly the burden is growing,” Roder said.
More than two dozen people have died in e-bike crashes across the Tampa Bay region in the past five years, at least seven of them in Hillsborough County, according to county data cited by FOX 13.
The county stepped in after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a statewide e-bike bill in June. That bill passed both chambers unanimously and would have created crash tracking, a safety task force and sidewalk speed limits when pedestrians are present. DeSantis called it an overreach.
The pushback: “How do I know I'm going 15?”
Not everyone was on board. Paula Flores of Walk Bike Tampa asked how cyclists without speedometers are supposed to follow speed limits, and warned that parking rules could penalize riders in areas without enough bike racks. Emily Hinsdale, president of the safe-routes-to-school nonprofit Sidewalk Stompers, pushed for an education period and better signage before enforcement and raised concerns the rules could fall harder on some racial and income groups.
Cohen, who proposed the rules in October, acknowledged some pieces may need work, especially enforcing speed limits on bikes without speedometers.
“We are going to bring back a report, probably in six months, and we can talk about whether or not we need to tweak anything,” he said.