ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – New rules are now in effect for businesses that help visitors experience downtown St. Augustine, including pedicabs, smaller tour operators and horse-drawn carriage companies.
The St. Augustine City Commission approved updates to the city’s Vehicles for Hire and Franchise ordinances on July 13 after years of staff review and public input.
The city says the changes are designed to improve safety, strengthen enforcement and better manage the transportation and sightseeing industry.
The updated rules create a new second-tier franchise category for businesses providing tours with 11 passengers or fewer. The city is capping that category at 15 franchisees, with each allowed up to two permitted vehicles.
For pedicabs, the city is also setting a cap of 15 operators, with each operator allowed up to two pedicabs.
The changes also update driver requirements. Operators must have a valid Florida driver’s license and pass background checks.
The ordinance includes updated regulations for horse-drawn carriage operations focused on animal health, safety and welfare. It also increases penalties for violations, including possible vehicle impoundment for operators without the proper licenses or permits.
The city says the changes are intended to improve oversight while better managing an industry that plays a role in how visitors get around the historic district.
Some pedicab drivers say the new rules could help protect established businesses as St. Augustine continues to grow.
“To keep the cap on for the future, as St. Augustine grows and gets even bigger, and the Nights of Lights gets even bigger too. I think it makes a lot of sense to just cap it, ” said Brandon Ricondo, a pedicab driver for E-Ped. “But it’s not really going to affect us. Some of the old businesses like this one, we’re grandfathered in.”
Ricondo said he believes limiting the number of operators makes sense for the future of the industry.
Another pedicab owner, Blaise Morell, said he supports parts of the ordinance, including background checks and limits on the number of operators, but believes the changes also come with challenges for businesses.
The city says it will spend the next several months educating operators and issuing warnings. Enforcement and penalties for violations are scheduled to begin Oct. 1.