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Over the past few weeks, several videos, like this one, have been posted on Nextdoor by residents of unincorporated Orange County, Hamlin, Horizon West and Winter Garden illustrating a dangerous reality we are now experiencing on a regular basis: groups of young teen moped and e-bike drivers taking over full travel lanes, weaving unpredictably through traffic and creating hazardous conditions for everyone on the road. This behavior not only puts these young riders in unsafe and volatile situations, it also endangers drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians who have no way to anticipate or safely navigate around them.
Furthermore, this crisis infringes on the basic rights of all Orange County residents. Our neighborhood sidewalks and bike trails — spaces designed for recreation and safe transit — have become places of fear and intimidation. Residents can no longer walk, run or cycle without the constant threat of being struck from behind by these high‑speed vehicles, operated by students who have never been taught how to do so safely.
After 15 months of continuous advocacy, a year‑long Change.org petition and multiple news interviews, I am relieved this issue is finally gaining traction. Winter Garden is considering a safety ordinance that mandates helmets, bike lights and imposes penalties for speeding, among other things. The county is also working on a local ordinance, and there is Senate Bill 382, sponsored by State Sen. Keith Truenow, of District 13, with a companion bill sponsored by State Reps. Yvette Benarroch and Kim Kendall, that will be taken up when the Legislature starts its session Jan. 13.
I must be unequivocally clear here: we are now at a crisis point in Orange County regarding e-bikes, and I believe a policy that simply bans these vehicles from being driven to and from school, as some on the Orange County School Board and Board of County Commissioners have suggested, will not solve the problem.
This is not a “school‑zone” issue; it is a systemic, countywide safety gap. Banning these vehicles from school campuses addresses a symptom while ignoring the root cause. Without mandatory education and consistent enforcement, these dangerous riding patterns will not disappear; they will simply surface on our residential streets, commercial corridors and bike paths outside of school hours, as they have throughout this holiday season.
We must also consider the unintended consequences of a school e-bike ban for families in unincorporated areas. For many students, these vehicles are not a luxury —they are a necessity for getting to school, to after‑school jobs and to activities in communities where no public transit exists. Removing what may be for some their only mode of transportation without providing a safe alternative simply punishes families while failing to address the underlying safety crisis.
It is also my understanding that every high school in Orange County currently has an extensive waiting list for student parking spaces. Many parents are not in a position to drive their children to school every day, nor can they spend long periods of time waiting in the already overburdened drop‑off and pick‑up lines, if students are prohibited from driving their mopeds, e‑bikes, or e‑scooters to and from school. At the same time, there are currently not enough Orange County school bus drivers to absorb the additional demand should those students opt for the bus. So, in many ways, these micromobility vehicles have filled a transportation gap that the county has not been able to remedy.
The issue is not the e-bikes. The issue is that students have never been trained to operate them safely. What I believe is urgently needed is mandatory safety training for every student who intends to operate one of these e-bikes — and accountability measures for parents as well. Without education, enforcement, and shared responsibility, the dangerous patterns we're seeing on our streets will escalate. Our community cannot afford to wait for a tragedy to act.
With proper education, clear rules and consistent enforcement, these vehicles can be a practical, affordable and safe means of transportation for the families who rely on them.
A meaningful solution requires a coordinated, countywide response that prioritizes:
Mandatory Safety Education. Comprehensive instruction for students and parents to ensure every rider understands the rules, risks and responsibilities of operating these vehicles.
Clear Rules & Expectations. Explicit, consistently communicated guidelines for e-bike use on roads, sidewalks and trails so that residents know what is allowed — and what is not.
Consistent Enforcement. Accountability measures that protect all road users and reinforce safe behavior across every neighborhood — not just around school campuses.
Until these systemic pieces are in place, the risks to our community will continue to escalate. This crisis is preventable, but only if we address it with the seriousness, coordination, and urgency it demands.
