Miami-Dade County has formed a working group to address the issue of e-bike safety, as public concern grows and a recent report suggests that injuries resulting from e-bike and e-scooter crashes in South Florida are surging.
Coconut Grove residents are calling on local government leaders to step up and address the dangers of e-bikes and other electronic mobile devices that caused two deaths in the Key Biscayne area and left a couple seriously injured near Kennedy Park.
Local officials say they are working to address those concerns but to date have little to show in terms of progress or concrete proposals.
“We recognize the need for policies and measures within county jurisdiction, such as County Parks, and are working closely with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on public education and enforcement and collaboration with our municipal partners,” Miami-Dade County’s Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales told the Spotlight.
Key Biscayne, Miami Beach and the University of Miami have limited the use of e-bikes within their jurisdictions. State lawmakers have enacted new rules as well, voting this year to impose a 10-mph speed limit on e-bikes operating within 50 feet of a pedestrian.
But residents, safety advocates and a least one county official say more can – and should – be done to protect pedestrians, minimize injuries, and save lives.
“The new state law reducing speed limits for e-bikes is a positive step, but local action is also necessary,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado.
The most recent event to spark concern occurred in January when a 15-year-old boy lost control of his electric dirt bike along South Bayshore Drive and struck Lisa Sloat and her husband Hank Klein, knocking them to the ground.
Klein, 81, suffered head injuries including a brain bleed. Sloat, 76, crumpled under the force of the crash, fracturing her ankle.
A rash of other e-bike accidents statewide propelled the Legislature to act this year.
In addition to imposing a 10-mph speed limit on e-bikes when ridden on public sidewalks and pathways near pedestrians, lawmakers voted to create a state task force to study the issue of e-bike safety, and require local law enforcement agencies to track and report all e-bike crashes that they investigate.
Morales suggested the new state law may lead to more local regulation. In the meantime, he said the county has convened an informal working group consisting of county staff and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office to address the issue.
“While the law is still in flux, the state has passed a law creating a task force to study the issue and we will continue exploring ways to further improve safety in our community,” Morales said.
While residents and safety advocates welcome the new state law, they also say it doesn’t go far enough to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
Read more: Advocates Say E-Bikes Should Be Better Regulated
Some residents pointed to the Village of Key Biscayne’s ordinance banning e-bikes and motorized scooters on public streets as an example of what’s needed elsewhere.
Key Biscayne acted after 66-year-old Megan Andrews was struck and killed by a 12-year-old boy on a e-bike in February 2024. Violators can be fined and could have their electronic mobile devices confiscated by the police, according to the ordinance.
“A law such as that would make us feel safe,” said Coconut Grove resident Marilyn Wright, who said she encounters reckless e-bike operators while doing her mile walk.
Local concerns about the safety of e-bikes spiked when Klein and Sloat were struck from behind while walking near Kennedy Park. Both were hospitalized for three weeks, and now face a long recovery at home.
Read more: Safety Concerns Grow After Grove Couple Struck by Dirt Bike
Five months earlier, Fabian Moses, 54, was struck and killed on the Rickenbacker Causeway by a 14-year-old boy on an electric dirt bike. Moses was riding bikes with his wife at the time.
The boy, who the Spotlight is not naming because he is a minor, recently accepted a plea deal in which the state dismissed a vehicular homicide charge and kept the original charge of driving without a valid license and causing great bodily harm or death.
He was placed on probation until he turns 19.
Read more: Teenager Arrested in Causeway Bike Death
Injuries like those sustained by Sloat and her husband are surging in South Florida, according to a recent report by Memorial Healthcare System, which operates six hospitals in Broward County. E-bike and e-scooters injuries rose 178% from 2024 to 2025, the company announced in April.
“We’re seeing a rise in injuries across all age groups,” Rachelle Solomon, Memorial’s trauma prevention coordinator, said in a statement. “These devices are faster and more powerful than many people realize, and safety behaviors simply aren’t keeping up.”
Fourteen people died last year as a result of bicycle crashes in Miami-Dade, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety. The statistics don’t distinguish between non-motorized bikes and e-bikes, but the numbers do indicate an improvement over 2024, when the department recorded 20 local deaths due to bike crashes.
Regalado, the county commissioner for Coconut Grove, assisted Key Biscayne with its ordinance by sponsoring legislation that allowed the village to ban e-bikes on Crandon Boulevard, which is a county road.
Regalado pointed to The Shoreline, a plan she is promoting to re-engineer the Rickenbacker Causeway, as another opportunity to address e-bike safety.
Regalado said her plan includes placing restrictions on the use of all electronic mobile motorized vehicles to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
She wouldn’t elaborate, she said, because the plan is not final and because she’s working with Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo on the issue.
“We will continue working with residents and our municipal partners to identify practical solutions that enhance safety while maintaining mobility,” she said.
Pardo did not respond to repeated inquiries from the Spotlight. Attempts to reach Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins for this story were also unsuccessful.
After leaving Mercy Hospital, Sloat and her husband contacted Higgins and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, asking them to impose stricter local rules for e-bikes. Levine Cava responded by email, and her office later followed up with the couple.
Sloat says she never heard back from Higgins. But the issue is apparently on the mayor’s radar. In a three-question interview with Luis Gazitua, a board member at the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID), Higgins flagged pedestrian safety as an issue of concern.
“I look forward to working with Commissioner Damian Pardo and the City administration to make the streets of Coconut Grove safer for pedestrians and cyclists,” she said, in response to one of Gazitua’s questions.
The Spotlight followed up by asking the mayor’s chief of staff and communications director whether the mayor supported stricter rules for e-bikes, and whether any effort was underway to improve pedestrian safety in the Grove. Neither responded.
The Coconut Grove Spotlight also reached out to Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki Lopez for this story. As a state lawmaker whose district included Coconut Grove, Lopez advocated in Tallahassee for the ability of local governments to regulate e-bikes.
“Thank you for reaching out and for covering this important issue,” her office said in a statement. “We recommend reaching out to Commissioner Raquel Regalado’s office, as her district includes that area and they would be best suited to provide comments.”
Spotlight editor Don Finefrock contributed to this report.
