My wife and I are retiring to The Villages in a week. Been looking forward to this for a long time. I don't plan to be in a hurry to do anything in my retirement, had to punch a clock my whole career, probably won't even bring a clock with me to The Villages, unless I need to know how long till happy hour. If you see a long line of carts on the trail, I'll be the one up front holding everyone up. I think I'll get a sign for my cart that says, IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU'RE NOT RETIRED. See you all in a week.

[zcaveman]

This might be a new post but it has been posted many times.

In this post, Some of the questions in this post seem to be:

1. Do the local police have the authority to issue tickets to golf carts driving on the recreational trails for speeding, open container, DUI, reckless driving?

2. What is the difference between the public roads (County supported ) and private roads (CDCD supported)? Does the local police have jurisdiction on the private roads?

3. What is the charge fort speeding in a golf cart - speeding or operating an unregistered vehicle? I am pretty sure it is #2 and it is very expensive.

4. Can the local police ticket people under 14 operating golf carts - or as some one put it - Hector's pup?

Personally I hope they have the authority. Too many times have I had close calls from speeders, stop sign runners, yield sign runners out of the tunnels. One slip and someone can end up in the hospital or the graveyard. And both have happened in TV.

I have some free time Thursday and I will take cut and pastes of this post to the Marion County substation in TV and see what they have to say. Maybe they can put something in the Daily Sun or the VHA newsletter to answer all of your questions.

Questions - comments- additions?

[Hancle704]

Not clear about recreation paths/multimodal transportation paths/golf cart lanes on southside of CR 466, but I'm pretty certain that the paths on the northside are not owned by The Developer and in fact belong to the respective numbered CDD's and CDD's are Governmental entities created by FL Statutes. While these CDD's have taxing authority, they do not have Police powers and in turn give that responsibility over to the County Sheriffs. The exception are those diamond lanes that are alongside the county owned and maintained streets and roads. Streets within Villa Communities are owned and maintained by the numbered CDD's. While those Villa streets are not County owned and maintained they are still patrolled by Sheriff's Departments. If you don't believe that, drive through the Villa streets at 30 MPH in any vehicle in full view of a Deputy and fail to stop at Corners marked with a STOP sign. This will give you a great opportunity to tell your story to the Judge.

[Hancle704]

Florida Statutes worth considering:

320.01 Definitions, general.--As used in the Florida Statutes, except as otherwise provided, the term:
(22) "Golf cart" means a motor vehicle that is designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational purposes and that is not capable of exceeding speeds of 20 miles per hour.
(42) "Low-speed vehicle" means any four-wheeled electric vehicle whose top speed is greater than 20 miles per hour but not greater than 25 miles per hour, including neighborhood electric vehicles. Low-speed vehicles must comply with the safety standards in 49 C.F.R. s. 571.500 and s. 316.2122.
320.105 Golf carts and utility vehicles; exemption.--Golf carts and utility vehicles, as defined in s. 320.01, when operated in accordance with s. 316.212 or s. 316.2126, are exempt from provisions of this chapter which require the registration of vehicles or the display of license plates.

[chacam]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

I have some free time Thursday and I will take cut and pastes of this post to the Marion County substation in TV and see what they have to say. Maybe they can put something in the Daily Sun or the VHA newsletter to answer all of your questions.

Questions - comments- additions?

Z, please ask them to cite the statute that applies to each of your queries.

Thanks

[GatorFan]

Called State Farm agent today and asked if my cart went over 20 mph would their golf cart policy pay claim. They told me they did not know. No one ever asked them that question.

[nitehawk]

Point of information; does anyone have one of those low speed vehicles, which have to be registered and insured, etc Just wondering what the insurance and registration cost. Maybe the only advantage would be to get to Sams and Home Depot via Rolling Acres, which i believe is 35mph speed and would be legal for low speed vehicles.

[disney07]

Originally Posted by duffer4384

My wife and I are retiring to The Villages in a week. Been looking forward to this for a long time. I don't plan to be in a hurry to do anything in my retirement, had to punch a clock my whole career, probably won't even bring a clock with me to The Villages, unless I need to know how long till happy hour. If you see a long line of carts on the trail, I'll be the one up front holding everyone up. I think I'll get a sign for my cart that says, IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU'RE NOT RETIRED. See you all in a week.

Duffer, I'll be looking for that sign, thanks for the heads up. Good sense of humor. :joke:

PS, Where would that be in The Villages you'll now be calling home?

[golfnut]

duffer, you'll need at least one clock, don't want to be late for your tee time....GN

[zcaveman]

I stopped by the Marion County substation and gave them the letter and the associated posts and talked about it. The receptionist took it inside and came back and told me that the Lieutenant was out today but would look at the letter tomorrow. I really wasn't expecting an immediate answer.

I will let you know what I hear. I did mention in the letter that it would be a good idea to address these questions with an article in the Daily Sun or in his section of the VHA insert.

[zcaveman]

I stopped by the Marion County Police Substation on route 42 and had a very nice chat with Lt. Tim O'Hara.

He did not give me statutes but was able to explain all of the points that I asked. The answers are as follows:

1. Do the local police have the authority to issue tickets to golf carts driving on the recreational trails for speeding, open container, DUI, reckless driving?

Yes - see #2.


2. What is the difference between the public roads (County supported) and private roads (CDD supported)? Does the local police have jurisdiction on the private roads?

Every year, the local police signs an agreement with the developer and the county commissioners that gives them the authority to police the private roads and the recreational trails.


3. What is the charge for speeding in a golf cart - speeding or operating an unregistered vehicle? I am pretty sure it is #2 and it is very expensive.

The charge is "operating an unregistered vehicle" and you have to go to court. The fine is usually the max.


4. Can the local police ticket people under age 14 operating golf carts on the recreational trails or the private roads?

Yes. Since the driver does not have a driver's license, a pseudo one is issued and immediately suspended. This is necessary because all violations need a DL number. The violation will be send to the state that the violator resides in. This could possibly deter the violator from getting a valid license when he/she turns 16. So, if you are a grandparent giving your grandkid a thrill, remember what the consequences could be.

BTW: In the case of an adult without a driver's license, the same process applies. This is so they can collect any fines if the violator decides not to pay.


5. Are these responses good in all counties of the Villages? Or do some have different criteria?

Basically what was stated above is good in all three counties. In Marion County, these statements also apply in Stonecrest, Spruce Creek and other golf cart communities in their jurisdiction.


Lt. O'Hara also mentioned that he and the other officers have published articles in the Daily Sun and in the VHA Villagers Voice (Friday's Daily Sun insert) covering all of these items. My response was that a lot of you are new here and probably missed the articles.

If you have any questions, you can contact Lt. Tim O'Hara at 753-2211 or email him at tohara@marionso.com. If you live in another jurisdiction, I would like to suggest that one of you volunteer to take these items to your local sheriff's office to see what their answers are and post them. I am sure they will be the same.

Hope this helps.

Z

PS: Don't shoot the messenger.

[jadebox]

Caveman, this is what I have head.
thanks for checking on it. This is what I have heard. I wonder if they ever have made a child not get their licence until they were 18?

[Muncle]

Z -- thanx for doing the leg work. So much of what we argue about can be settled if more of us (self included) followed your example. Way to go.

[Hancle704]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

I stopped by the Marion County Police Substation on route 42 and had a very nice chat with Lt. Tim O'Hara.

He did not give me statutes but was able to explain all of the points that I asked. The answers are as follows:

1. Do the local police have the authority to issue tickets to golf carts driving on the recreational trails for speeding, open container, DUI, reckless driving?

Yes - see #2.


2. What is the difference between the public roads (County supported) and private roads (CDD supported)? Does the local police have jurisdiction on the private roads?

Every year, the local police signs an agreement with the developer and the county commissioners that gives them the authority to police the private roads and the recreational trails.


3. What is the charge for speeding in a golf cart - speeding or operating an unregistered vehicle? I am pretty sure it is #2 and it is very expensive.

The charge is "operating an unregistered vehicle" and you have to go to court. The fine is usually the max.


4. Can the local police ticket people under age 14 operating golf carts on the recreational trails or the private roads?

Yes. Since the driver does not have a driver's license, a pseudo one is issued and immediately suspended. This is necessary because all violations need a DL number. The violation will be send to the state that the violator resides in. This could possibly deter the violator from getting a valid license when he/she turns 16. So, if you are a grandparent giving your grandkid a thrill, remember what the consequences could be.

BTW: In the case of an adult without a driver's license, the same process applies. This is so they can collect any fines if the violator decides not to pay.


5. Are these responses good in all counties of the Villages? Or do some have different criteria?

Basically what was stated above is good in all three counties. In Marion County, these statements also apply in Stonecrest, Spruce Creek and other golf cart communities in their jurisdiction.


Lt. O'Hara also mentioned that he and the other officers have published articles in the Daily Sun and in the VHA Villagers Voice (Friday's Daily Sun insert) covering all of these items. My response was that a lot of you are new here and probably missed the articles.

If you have any questions, you can contact Lt. Tim O'Hara at 753-2211 or email him at tohara@marionso.com. If you live in another jurisdiction, I would like to suggest that one of you volunteer to take these items to your local sheriff's office to see what their answers are and post them. I am sure they will be the same.

Hope this helps.

Z

PS: Don't shoot the messenger.

Lt. Jeremiah Wolfe of Sumter County Sheriffs Department gave out the same information at CDD Meeting last Friday. So it would appear that they are all in agreement. He did share one other item that may help you avoid a $88.00 fine. if the sign says merge with vehicular traffic you better do it, or face a citation for ignoring the traffic signal (sign). This applies to folks who stay in lane because they are making a right turn at intersection. YOU STILL NEED TO MERGE INTO THE TRAFFIC LANE before you get to the intersection.

Local Law Enforcement are serious about golf cart safety, speeding and violations, because the CDD Boards and others have asked them to enforce the laws because too many folks are violating them and entirely too many people are being injured.

[zcaveman]

Florida Golf Cart Law (Revised Response)


Lt. O'Hara called me this morning. Some of my answers were not exactly correct. I removed the incorrect statements and put the amended answers are in blue.

I stopped by the Marion County Police Substation on route 42 and had a very nice chat with Lt. Tim O'Hara.

He did not give me statutes but was able to explain all of the points that I asked. The answers are as follows . These answers only apply to Marion County. If you live in another county, you will have to check with the Sheriff's Office in that county.


1. Do the local police have the authority to issue tickets to golf carts driving on the recreational trails for speeding, open container, DUI, reckless driving?

The answer is no. Lt O'Hara thought that I was talking about the golf cart lanes that are part of the roads in Marion county.


2. What is the difference between the public roads (County supported) and private roads (CDD supported)? Does the local police have jurisdiction on the private roads?

Because The Villages in not a gated community, they have the authority to police all of the roads in Marion county.


3. What is the charge for speeding in a golf cart - speeding or operating an unregistered vehicle? I am pretty sure it is #2 and it is very expensive.

The charge is "operating an unregistered vehicle" and you have to go to court. The fine is usually the max.


4. Can the local police ticket people under age 14 operating golf carts on the recreational trails or the private roads?

Yes. Since the driver does not have a driver's license, a pseudo one is issued and immediately suspended. This is necessary because all violations need a DL number. The violation will be send to the state that the violator resides in. This could possibly deter the violator from getting a valid license when he/she turns 16. So, if you are a grandparent giving your grandkid a thrill, remember what the consequences could be.


BTW: In the case of an adult without a driver's license, the same process applies. This is so they can collect any fines if the violator decides not to pay.



5. Are these responses good in all counties of the Villages? Or do some have different criteria?

These answers only apply to Marion County. If you live in another county, you will have to check with the Sheriff's Office in that county.


Lt. O'Hara also mentioned that he and the other officers have published articles in the Daily Sun and in the VHA Villagers Voice (Friday's Daily Sun insert) covering all of these items. My response was that a lot of you are new here and probably missed the articles.


If you have any questions, you can contact Lt. Tim O'Hara at 753-2211 or email him at tohara@marionso.com. If you live in another jurisdiction, I would like to suggest that one of you volunteer to take these items to your local sheriff's office to see what their answers are and post them.

Hope this helps.

Z

PS: Don't shoot the messenger.