Pasco to vote on golf cart rules for roads and trails

Pasco County commissioners will vote Tuesday on new rules for where golf carts can drive in unincorporated Pasco, which includes Wesley Chapel. The package sets a speed limit for carts on paved trails and lets neighborhood boards apply to open more streets to them.

Two items are on the Board of County Commissioners agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 20:

• P31, an ordinance on golf carts on multiuse paved trails, at a public hearing at 1:30 p.m.
• R28, a resolution on golf carts on county roads, to be heard right after it

The meeting is at the West Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey.

Why now

“Recent requests from both County residents and law enforcement personnel have reinforced the need for clearer designation and operating standards,” the county’s Planning, Development and Economic Growth Department said in its memo. It said the ordinance aims to give “certainty about where golf carts are permitted.”

Both items would create a countywide Golf Cart Network map, published on the county website, showing every road and trail where carts are allowed.

The rules for trails

The ordinance would allow carts only on paved trails the county has approved. On those trails, a driver must:

• stay at or under 15 mph
• yield to people walking and cycling, by pulling off, slowing or stopping
• not drive in a reckless or careless way

A trail must be at least 10 feet wide, with at least 15 feet of clear space, to qualify. Carts are banned on trails the county has not approved, except when used as a mobility device under federal disability rules.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office or code enforcement officers could enforce it. A traffic ticket would be used only where state traffic law was also broken.

The rules for roads

The resolution keeps every road already open to golf carts. It replaces 10 older resolutions, including the 2017 one for the Connected City Stewardship District in the Wesley Chapel area and the 2021 one for the Villages of Pasadena Hills, about seven miles north.

It also approves carts on trails built in those two districts, as long as they meet the new ordinance.

New roads could be added by the county engineer, without a commission vote. A community development district or homeowners association board would have to apply. To qualify, a road must:

• not be an arterial road
• have a speed limit of 30 mph or less
• carry no more than 5,000 vehicles a day
• have no more than 10% heavy vehicle traffic

Crossing a state road would need the Florida Department of Transportation’s approval. Crossing a county arterial or collector road would need the county engineer’s.

Who can drive

Both items follow state law. On a public road or approved trail:

• a driver under 18 must hold a learner’s license or a driver’s license
• a driver 18 or older must carry government-issued photo ID

Carts may run from sunrise to sunset with basic equipment, such as brakes, steering, tires, a mirror, reflectors and a working horn. After dark, a cart also needs headlights, brake lights, turn signals and a windshield.

What it does not cover

The ordinance does not apply to private roads, parking lots or other private property. The county says cart use there is up to the association or the property owner.

What it means for you

• If your neighborhood wants carts on its streets, your CDD or HOA board is the one that would apply under the new process.
• If carts already use your streets under an earlier county approval, they stay approved.
• You can speak at the 1:30 p.m. hearing in person, or by Microsoft Teams after registering on the county’s public comment page. Speakers get three minutes.
• Watch it live on the county website and YouTube channel, Frontier Channel 42 or Spectrum Channel 643.
• Check which roads are closed before you drive.

The ordinance takes effect once it is filed with the Florida Department of State. The road resolution takes effect as soon as it is adopted. We will report the vote after Tuesday’s meeting.