by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
The Sanibel City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 3, voted 3-1, with Council Member Laura DeBruce recusing herself because she owns a business that rents E-bikes, to authorize Class 1, 2, and 3 electric bikes on the shared-use paths, subject to all state laws and regulations and all other operational regulations.
This vote is based on Council discussion and must be brought back to Council for first and second readings, with a public hearing, before it becomes law. This is just the beginning of that process.
Sanibel Police Chief Bill Dalton said the rangers focus on compliance rather than E-Bike Class. “A small number of people are violating the rules,” he said. “Problems are not an overwhelming number.”
“I spend a fair amount of time on San-Cap Road, and it’s my observation that people are operating them responsibly,” said Council member Richard Johnson. “You can operate a Class 1 dangerously and a Class 3 safely.”
City Manager Dana Souza added that there are more injuries with pedal bikes. “It’s not standing out that E-Bikes, regardless of Class, are creating a problem,” he said.
“Often it’s a traditional bike behaving badly,” Vice Mayor Holly Smith added.
Behavior and education are the most important aspects, according to Smith. It’s tourists on Sanibel for one week who are hard to educate about the rules.
Council member John Henshaw disagreed with the Council’s direction and ultimately voted “no.”
“I’m not sure we’re ready for this at this point,” Henshaw said, “I’m not comfortable going for Class 2 and 3 because of the purpose of the shared use path.” He said it wasn’t meant to be a conveyance “road” to get from one place to another, but rather a path where people could walk and leisurely ride their bikes to enjoy the island.
“We’re going down the rabbit hole,” Henshaw said. “Before long, the path will be as busy as Periwinkle (Way).”
“We didn’t have enough experience when we outlawed Classes 2 and 3. Since then, we have more information,” Johnson said.
Mayor Mike Miller asked, “Would you rather have them on the roads? Most of our roads are substandard in width with no shoulders.”
Here are the state laws and regulations that cyclists must follow: 2026 Proposed Florida Legislation Related to Electric Bikes (E-Bikes)
The 2026 Legislative Session has seen two Bills filed that, if approved, would regulate the use of electric bikes. The current version of House Bill 243 – Electric Bicycles (HB 243) and the current version of Senate Bill 382 – Electric Bicycles (SB 382) propose to:
– Require persons operating an e-bike on a shared pathway to yield to pedestrians and give an audible signal before passing pedestrians.
– Prohibit persons operating an e-bike on an area designated for pedestrians from exceeding 10 mph when riding within 50 feet of a pedestrian.
– Create an Electric Bicycle Safety Task Force that is to recommend improvements to state law for the regulation of e-bikes to encourage the safe operation of e-bikes and prevent accidents/injuries.
The Task Force will be required to produce a report to the Governor and Legislature by October 1, 2026, with their recommendations.
– Establish requirements for law enforcement agencies/departments to record/report traffic crashes involving e-bikes. Reports are to include: Date/time of crash, the e-bike class that was involved in the crash, the age of the operator, if the operator had a valid driver’s license or permit at the time of the crash.
– Require each law enforcement agency/department to submit a report for all e-bike crashes that occurred within the jurisdiction from the time the law is enacted through September 30, 2026. The report must be submitted to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles by October 15, 2026.
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