St. Augustine Beach schedules Feb. 26 town hall on e-bike safety

Mayor Beth Sweeney, mayor of the City of St. Augustine Beach, and Police Chief Dan Carswell announced that the city will host a public workshop on e-bike safety on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Commission Room at City Hall.

The session, the officials said, is intended to explain current laws and city ordinances and to gather feedback from residents. "So ebikes have been a hot topic here in Saint Augustine Beach for a few years now," Chief Dan Carswell said, adding that use has increased "especially with the juveniles." He said the town hall will "provide some information about current laws, current ordinance, and give information back to the citizens because we get a lot of questions about, can we ride them on the sidewalk, can we ride them on the beach, things like that."

The workshop is billed as an opportunity for officials to answer public questions about where e-bikes may be operated under existing rules and to hear community views on how the city and police department should respond. Mayor Sweeney invited residents to attend and credited Commissioner Romrell for his involvement in organizing the outreach. "If you're available, please come out and join us and share your concerns, share your thoughts with us," she said.

The city has not announced changes to ordinances; the meeting is described as informational and a chance to collect community input. The workshop will take place Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Commission Room at City Hall.