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Hundreds of electric scooters are coming to Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of electric scooters are coming to Orlando, and city leaders say they plan to get a share of the profits.

The city said it will use money from its scooter pilot program to make improvements downtown.

While the venture will generate money for the city, Orlando leaders said safety is the No. 1 concern.

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Before the scooters come to Orlando, each permitted company will have to host six training classes to teach people how to safely use them around the city.

Going 10 mph on an Orlando sidewalk on one of these scooters looks fun to some.

But Orlando resident Lord Kenneth said he's worried the riders won't watch what they're doing. He said that's already an issue with bike sharing and people on skateboards.

"They are only interested in where I've been, where I'm going and how I'm going to get there," Kenneth said. "And if I hit you on the way, so be it."

He's concerned for other elderly Orlando residents, and so were City Council members.

The city says it's teaming up with Orlando Health and AdventHealth to see if emergency visits due to scooter crashes become an issue.

The city says part of the plan is to limit scooter speed.

For those riding scooters on sidewalks, the speed limit is 10 mph.

For scooters that have a seat and can operate on roads, the speed limit is 20 mph.

While the scooter companies will make money, so will The City Beautiful. It will make 25 cents for every ride.

If scooters average about 30,000 rides per month, as the bikes currently do, that will be about $90,000 a year.

The city said that money will be used to help keep up sidewalks, bike paths and other mobility necessities.

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