Proposal would allow golf carts on Sanford streets

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Downtown Sanford could be seeing a lot more golf carts on city streets if a resident's proposal gets approved.

Don Schreiner said the idea came to him when he was stopped by police while driving his golf cart.

"We were warned we could get a $200 ticket," Schreiner said.

He said the golf carts are eco-friendly and electric charging stations are already in place because the police use them.

"They make a lot of sense," Schreiner said.

He said they're convenient, "green" and take up less space. He said if the city gets on board with his plan, it could be a good thing for downtown businesses.

"I live like 10 blocks away and I ride a bicycle to work and a lot of my neighbors are a little bit elderly and if you want to carry groceries on a golf cart, you can carry all that. It's kind of hard on a bicycle," said Sanford business owner Theo Hollerbach.

Mayor Jeff Triplett also thinks it's a good idea and city leaders will discuss it next week.

"We'll talk about registration, and nighttime driving and daytime drive and age requirements and we'll go through a lot of ins and outs of it," Triplett said.

Right now, the plan only allows golf carts in the historic downtown area.

Plan backers are pushing to see the ordinance passed on roads that are 25 mph and less, within a defined boundary from the lakefront to 25th Street, across Highway 17-92 and over into the Mayfair neighborhood.

Some people have raised safety concerns, but Schreiner said golf carts are just as safe as any other vehicle.

Mayor Triplett agrees.

"I feel they're very safe, if used properly common sense applies. I feel they're safer than motorcycles, they're actually safer than bikes in my opinion," Triplett said.

The mayor said if approved and all goes well, approval for golf carts could expand into other areas of the city.

WFTV