Miami Beach to consider ban on new moped rental companies, fines for nighttime rides
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber may have been joking when he said the City Commission has a powerful “scooter caucus,” but the city’s anti-moped majority is bringing about serious changes to the scooter rental business on the Beach.
In September, the commission outlawed overnight rentals for most mopeds and motorized bicycles, limited how many of these vehicles a company can have in its fleet and authorized the city manager to suspend their operations during busy periods, such as spring break.
By the winter, this slice of Miami Beach’s tourism economy may be further restricted. Commissioners will vote on proposals to ban new moped rental companies and fine riders who drive their Vespa-like scooters past dusk.
An all-out moped rental ban has not been ruled out.
“I continue to believe that scooter rentals as ‘toys’ are not contributing to the well being of our community,” Commissioner David Richardson said Wednesday in a statement. “I am proposing a ban on new companies, and continue to review all available options including an all-out ban.”
Commissioners and some residents have argued that moped renters — who are usually tourists — too often break traffic laws, pose quality-of-life issues and strain police resources. The overnight rental ban, which prohibits scooter and motorized bicycle rentals between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., has dealt a financial blow to companies that cater to multi-day visitors.
But the commission may go further still.
Under Richardson’s proposal, which passed the city’s Planning Board on Tuesday, no new moped rental company will be permitted to do business in Miami Beach. There are currently 14 moped rental companies, the city said. The proposed ban, which would extend to golf cart rentals, needs commission approval at two meetings for it to become a law.
A separate proposal from Commissioner Steven Meiner, which received preliminary approval from the commission earlier this month, would require that companies install emergency power-off switches on all of their vehicles. If a renter is out past the 7 p.m. cutoff, the company would be ordered to shut down the vehicle and the renter would be subject to a $100 fine if caught by the city or police. A third offense would lead to arrest.
“This means the police are actually catching them and fining them, so obviously it’s not going to happen every time [renters break the rule],” Meiner said at the Oct. 14 meeting. “The third time it actually becomes a misdemeanor offense.”
Rental operators, like Michal Belica of Beach Scooter Rental, argue that the city should better enforce its traffic laws or meet with business owners to reach an understanding.
The overnight rental ban has cut his customer base in half. Further restrictions would crush the business, which Belica said opened up in the city nearly 30 years ago.
“It doesn’t look like they wanted to find some solution,” Belica said. “They just wanted to close it.”
Planning Board member David Wieder, who voted to recommend the ban on new rental companies, said the restriction could turn into a legal “battle.”
“My concern is that, will the regulation stand up?” he asked at Tuesday’s meeting. “Because it seems to me it’s one that’s really ripe for litigation.”
Commissioner Ricky Arriola, who has voted against moped rental restrictions, said the city should ramp up traffic enforcement instead of punishing small businesses.
“For tourists that are law-abiding, that want to rent these scooters and perhaps even keep them overnight, it becomes really painful for them to do that,” Arriola said at the Oct. 14 meeting.
Belica joked that the city would rather there be a church on his property.
“They are anti-freedom,” he said. “Or anti-fun.”
Gelber — who is part of the anti-moped majority — said he has embraced his perceived role on the Commission as the father from the movie “Footloose,” who banned dancing in his small town.
“The force is strong with the scooter caucus,” he said at the October meeting.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
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