MAITLAND, Fla. — Golf carts have come to be part of the after-school culture in Maitland, but without some modifications, many parents won’t be able to drive it into the pickup line next year.
Maitland Police have been handing out flyers to show the difference between golf carts and a low-speed vehicles.
Per state regulations, golf carts are not allowed on public roadways, but low-speed vehicles are allowed on streets 35 miles per hour and under.
“Golf carts and low-speed vehicles look alike — they are far from it,” said Robert Sargent, the public information officer for the city of Maitland. “We certainly have gotten a lot of questions from the public about this as we see more and more of these. Plus, in many cases, the golf carts have been driven unsafely by adult drivers, but the adult drivers are allowing kids to drive.”
Eventually people could face a citation, but the city has a 90-day grace period, so while the kids are out of school for the summer there is time to make changes to golf carts to comply with state guidelines.
That includes seatbelts, mirrors, headlights and other safety features.
The low-speed vehicle also must be registered with the state and be driven by a licensed driver.
Parent Kate McReynolds says she has gotten used to grabbing her kids from school using a golf cart, and is disappointed about the changes she’d have to make.
“My kids are in different locations. I have to pick up my youngest at a different location, so car line doesn’t really work with that timeline. This (golf cart) gets me out of here on time to go get him when I need to,” McReynolds said. “I mean, I get it, there are safety rules I can get behind, but it seems pretty strict, I think.”
The police are also handing out flyers on e-bikes and e-scooters, one for kids and the other for parents, to educate people that Maitland will be enforcing state guidelines and anyone riding must follow the rules of the road.
“Right now, the city has opted not to initially go out and set its own regulations on those micromobility products, knowing that the state of Florida is also has been kicking this around and we expect in the imminent future the state will set some kind of standard,” Sargent said.
Some parents told Spectrum News they want to see the e-bikes and e-scooters become a priority, not the golf cart enforcement.
Officials say there are no local rule changes coming but Maitland will crack down on existing state laws next school year.
View the flyers the city of Maitland has been handing out in the PDF below: