Governor Ron DeSantis has signed HB 949, which prohibits young drivers from driving golf carts on public streets in Florida unless they have a permit or license.
Under previous Florida law, it was permissible for 14-year-olds to operate a golf cart. Local government officials faced challenges in creating and implementing their own regulations to increase the minimum age requirement.
According to the new law, if you are under 18 and driving without a learner’s permit or driver’s license, you may receive a noncriminal traffic violation such as a moving violation. Individuals who are 18 or older must possess a government-issued identification in order to drive.
A golf cart is defined under Florida Law to be “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.”
The goal of this new law is to decrease the frequency of golf cart accidents involving teenagers, which is a concern shared by legislators and emergency personnel.