A split Fruitland Park Commission approved the first reading of an ordinance that will continue to allow golf cart traffic on portions of Dixie Avenue.
The roadway, also known as County Road 25A, is largely considered the main thoroughfare through the city. Many golf cart drivers use it to access the minimart on County Road 466A through a side entrance off Dixie. Post Office customers frequently use the same route before parking at the minimart and walking to the building next door.
The ordinance, which passed on a 3-2 vote, had been tabled twice in recent weeks because Vice Mayor John Gunter and Commissioner Ray Lewis, respectively, missed meetings where the somewhat controversial issue was on the agenda.
On Wednesday, Commissioner Rick Ranize and Lewis cast the two votes against the ordinance. Both had expressed concerns about the safety factor of allowing golf carts on Dixie Avenue, with Ranize admitting he had “lost that battle.”
“If I take a vehicle and drive down Dixie at 15 mph, am I impeding the flow of traffic?” he asked at a June 14 commission meeting. “That’s what these golf carts are doing. We’re putting them on a street that’s marked 30 mph and they drive 15, 17 mph, impeding the flow of traffic.”
At that same meeting – and at Wednesday’s gathering – Commissioner Chris Bell was adamant about continuing to allow golf cart travel on Dixie. Bell and Gunter, who also voted “yes” on the matter, represent constituents who live along the roadway and would have been negatively impacted by the change.
Fruitland Park resident Brian Gillette, owner of Southern Cart Works at 209 N. Dixie Ave., attended Wednesday night’s meeting but elected not to address the commission. Going into the meeting, many residents expected a 3-2 vote in favor, as each commissioner had made his feelings well known on several occasions.
But at the meeting last month, Gillette, a former Villager who moved to Fruitland Park “to be able to vote and have a word,” told commissioners eliminating golf cart traffic on Dixie would kill his business. And he also reminded commissioners how widely used golf carts are in the city.
“People go to church and swimming pools,” he said. “Parents take their kids to school in golf carts.”
For Mayor Chris Cheshire, the swing vote that sealed the approval came after some consternation and heavy thought. At the June meeting, he pointed out that he’s a huge believer in “personal freedoms” but definitely has safety concerns about the risks golf carts on the heavily traveled roadway. And at both commission meetings this month, he made it clear that one caveat pushed him into approving the first reading of the ordinance.
“If we put up more signs (for safety purposes,) I’ll be OK,” he said.
The ordinance says that golf carts can be operated on all public roads and streets (see map) within the city limits of Fruitland Park where the speed limit is 30 miles per hour or less unless noted. And in addition to Dixie Avenue, it lists Lake County roads Cooke Drive, Shiloh Street, Urick Street, Myrtle Lake Avenue, Pine Ridge Dairy Road, Cutoff Road and designated crossing spots on County Road 468 and CR 466A (Miller Street) as acceptable for travel.
The ordinance also says that operating golf carts on sidewalks is prohibited, as is having someone under the age of 14 at the wheel. The carts must meet the minimum equipment standards established by Florida Statutes and drivers may be ticketed for traffic violations in the same manner as motor vehicles.
The second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for Aug. 9 at the regularly scheduled commission meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, located at 506 W. Berkman St. It does not affect golf cart travel in The Villages portion of the city.
