ATV Florida Forum

This the second time this has been in the newspaper. Oct 1st riding on public streets is legal as long as its dirt and the speed limit is under 35mph. Individual counties can opt out like Hernando says they will but Pasco sheriff says he doesn't have a problem with it.

Please CLICK HERE TO READ. (http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/20/Hernando/Some_see_danger_ahead.shtml)   :ThumbsUp.gif

Anyone else see this before??

Yep, I heard this too.

Now if I could just find a town will all dirt streets.

Well I dont really believe this is the best thing to do, but aleast you can run down to your buddies house
or something like that if you live on a dirt road

So, will it be ok to ride down the # roads in ONF now?  Seems to me like you will be able to.

I just hope it stays up for a little while, I happily live in a town of mostly dirt roads. And heck, I'd be perfectly happy to do a little course to prove I can ride.

I'm sure Palm Beach County will opt out and you will not be able to do it here.

anybody heard about brevard aka yankee beach >:(

I would say yes, they are dirt roads with a speed limit under 35mph. Although they will probably opt out.

What about Vero Beach? I'm sure they will opt out seeing as 99% of the town is retired stuck up people form the North.

How about hialeah?
Lost lake is linked to my niehgborhood from a dirt road.

Just watch, it will last about 3 weeks before they all opt out one by one.

wow  so negative.At least they will be talking about atv 's and sometimes any press even bad press can be a good thing when politics are involved.Lets cross our fingers and toes and make some calls while we wait to see what will happen in palm bch county.

Sunday's article in St Pete's times said - probably will not be able to ride the dirt roads in ONF.

I'm telling you, on October 1st there will be so many people riding around my town it'll be crazy. So many people will get hurt for sure, unfortunately. We'll be riding around on 59th, the long sugar sand road, most likely.

I posted a response in another thread earlier this morning about what the state did with Tate' Hell.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, Tate's Hell was the first of OHV areas funded by the money collected from titling fees for atv's and off-road motorcycles.  Sounds like the state did a great thing at Tate's Hell until you realize that all they did was designate existing forest roads for OHVs.  These are bland, squared-off blocked areas where you are permitted to ride down a dirt road with a 30 MPH speed limit and obeying all normal traffic laws.  As I understand it, there are no true offroad areas within Tate's Hell.  http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/thsf_ohv_trailmap.html (http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/thsf_ohv_trailmap.html)

I see this new rule as a means to an end for the state.  Now all they have to say is "Look at all the riding areas we just gave you."  Hate to sound like a cynic but we've all been down this road before.  I don't expect to see any Croom-style riding areas.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the state purchased a large chunk of something like Golden Estates near Naples and told us to have at it, as long as we stay on the existing roads.  Wooo-Woooo!!  Wouldn't that be fun?   NOT!!    >:(

machine dog why do you think people will get hurt?35mph speed limit.Will they be breakin other laws like speed limits and drunk driving?Those are seperate issues.Speeding and drunk driving are illegal on any vehicles.also wreckless driving .If everyone obeys the existing laws I dont see any trouble.If people break all the laws then yes it will be mayhem,But if they do it in a legal car ,truck,or moped its the same thing.Dont lay all the wreckless driving on atv's.

Yeah, but I just doubt they will think of it that way and instead think they should of never allowed ATVs in the first place.

Unofficially, I was informed Palm Beach County will be opting out of F.S. 316.2123, OHVs on Certain Roadways. When I get the official word, I'll post it. The media will also be involved in getting the word out.

WONDER IF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RIDE YOUR OWN QUAD ON DAYTONA BEACH NOW INSTEAD OF HAVING TO RENT ONE

who unofficially informed you?YOU are a deputy and nothing is unofficial.Who is saying this to you?I will be driving on the dirt roads oct 1 and will be in front of the judge when I get a ticket.See you in court.

"Might I suggest using your night stick, officer?"

That above quote is why I could never be a cop...See, I would actually be macing him WHILE I was tasering him.

Man, ain't that the truth.  There's a pretty funny video floating around the web where some kid jumps out of a car at the urging of his fellow idiot to flip off a cop.  The kid runs over and sticks both middle fingers in the police officer's face while screaming F-You.   The cop proceeds to beat the hell out of the punk with his night stick.  A well deserved beating, I might add.  I couldn't do the job either for the same reason.  Kudos to the men in blue (tan or green, as the case may be).

     RON WHITE SAID IT BEST YOU CANT FIX STUPID!

Man that would be so awesome the cops wouldnt be able to tell us anything anymore...
Im also gonna print out the law so i can show the cop if there is a problem WOOHOOO!!!!

How long will it take for the paperwork to go through and for PBC to be officially opted out? Will there be a few days where the rule will be allowed?

Jupiter Farms in Palm Beach county, is a residential area comprised of mostly dirt roads. Many residents ride their ATVs on those roads, now, without incident. My brother lives next door to a PBSO who has never ever hassled him about his ATV riding.

The county has comissioners who have to vote to opt out.These are elected people that will vote to opt out or not.You can contact them and make your opinion heard.The "unofficial"source suggesting they will opt out is a deputy overhearing what is going on in his branch of the government.The deputies are pushing for the county to opt out.They do not want to lose the power to mess with atv riders.most people that gain power over others dont like to give it up.You do have the right to attempt to influence the county comissioners vote on this,and the right to hold them accountable for their vote.

The county commissioners need to hear from all off-roaders regarding Mecca Farms and F.S. 316.2123. Like sbripple wrote, they vote on these issues. The problem with this county, according to a traffic study, is most of the unpaved roads posted less than 35 MPH are land locked by paved roads and unpaved roads posted at or above 35 MPH. This problem promotes unlawful travel on these roads. Another issue, is unpaved roads are slowly disappearing in this county. While there will always be unpaved roads here, they will most likely be land locked by paved roads. This law is more geared toward rural counties that have a vast network of unpaved roads and less vehicular traffic. Until the commissioners vote one way or the other, nothing is official, only speculation. I do know the news media will cover the vote and get the word out. There may also be public service announcements regarding the law and what can be expected. Until then, it's a waiting game for all.....

So, are you saying that it will be illegal to cross a paved road to get to the next unpaved road?

The only legal way to cross a public road, sidewalk, or right-of-way is to push it across. Currently, state law prohibits "operating" OHVs on public roads, sidewalks and right-of-ways. By pushing the OHV across these areas, your not "operating" it.

Does anyone know how I would find out if POLK county is going to opt out?

I didn't know if there was a website or link.


Thanks

I wanna know who the "unofficial " source is that was quoted . The county commissioners are up for election sept 5 ,so I dont know how  they could even have considered the opting out when they are concentrating on an election.Sherrif Bradshaw can advise but he doesnt write law,or county policy.

Just saw a news brief on this law and IT'S TRUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's tear it up

No, lets don't tear it up and abuse the little bit that they are giving us. Remember to obey the traffic laws and do not tear up the roads by making mud holes and speeding. You will only cause the road crew to grade the roads more often and then the commissioners will be more apt to opt out on this law. I know driving under 35 may be hard but at least we can ride on them now. If you abuse this law then you will sure to lose this law.

It's that attitude that screws up a good thing. How about not tearing it up and just have some fun?
PBCounty has so much land that is unused and away from the public. Heck, right accros from the airport they built, off the B-line, is perfect. But they took that land and deem it public land, but sensitive. WHAT A JOKE!
The county even has the nerve to hire illegal's to "clean it up" by sending them into the woods to trim the palmettos. NO LIE! WHAT A JOKE!
Unfourtunately, I am too stupid to do anything about it. I wish someone smarter than me would help this part of human interest/recreation.

so you have to have a valid drivers license and obey all normal traffic laws. now does that mean you can get a ticket for running a stop sign or something?

No word that I know of yet. But if you Vote, make sure you vote for Randy Wilkinson as County Commissioner, he is very Pro-ATV and is helping us get an atv park.

so thats why they arrestsd him for a dui whem he wasn't even drinkin!!!!!

I think this is a great thing and we all need to call our commissioners now. As for the deputies that are always talking about how much they hate having to write us tickets and so on. Well, get behind this new law and help us out. I know you don't want to loose your nice cushy job riding around on your atv's like the rest of us want to, but let's see you guys prove what you say to us!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help us out. I know one thing is to not re-elect the sherrif, he is the one pushing for the law to be overturned and is the one making the officers get so strict and start towing bikes. He's a jerk!!!!!!! We need to start getting our view's acrossed and start making these elected officials accountable to us the tax payers. Does anyone having the phone number for the commissioner for the acreage???? I will call him none stop. PBSO, can you give some advise? I have met you on a couple of occasions mostly good, one bad one that cost me $180. But, having talked to you in person you seem to be out for our best interest. Any help I'm sure we would be appreciated.

raceman where are you in spring hill? We are up in royal highlands of Thrasher

Everyone needs to realize we need to be on OUR BEST BEHAVIOR OR THIS PRIVELEGE WILL BE TAKEN AWAY. That is all I have to say on the subject.

does this mean that u can ride 588 in big scrub without ranger click tell me i cant ride the powerline between tree line to treeline????boy that would just bust his chops, he also said my razrs tires were to agressive and then pulled out pics of him in a hummer in a marshy wetland where i know noone should have been according to him. what a hiperkrate

wow  what some clever questions.If you speed thats a traffic infraction no matter what vehicle you are on.Same for running a stop sign.If you drive drunk,etc.etc.etc.The crime will not be riding and atv.They will have to find new ways to harras us.I am sure sherriff bradshaw will tell his deputies to be up our rearends if he cant push his own agenda to have the county opt out.If they do good attorneys will whip them back in line.If you break traffic laws they will be lookin for a reason to bust your chops.Bradshaw will give specific instructions to his boys to stay on our rears.So lets hope the commissioners dont give in to him and let us ride.Then dont expect to buzz around speeding and running stop signs and not get ticketed.Lets remind this gang called pbso that they enforce laws and they dont get to write laws.Also lets not confuse the issue.when there is an accident involving an atv many rules of the road will undoubtably be broken but they will focus on the atv,instead of the fact that they were careless or speeding ,or worse.I dont understand why bradshaw has this agenda ,but he does and we have to be ready to deal with it.when his reelection time comes we can fire him,if we can find a better quallified person.maybe they will sell us some of those $40,000 trucks they ride around in cheap if they dont need to chase us anymore.

Machinedog has the best advice: Best behavior or this privilege will be taken away. I've heard nothing more about whether or not the law will be opted out in PBC. I will say my Captain instructed me to have an updated version of the OHV brochure we hand out ready for print, pending the outcome of any action the county commisioners may take. One problem I was asked about was the fact that most of the roads that qualify in this county are land locked by paved roads or roads at higher rated speeds. I agreed, but said the OHV can simply be pushed across these roads legally. All traffic laws, with the exception of some equipment requirements, will be enforceable. This means riders are subject to unlawful speed, stop signs,  careless driving, reckless driving, DUI, unregistered vehicle (green/yellow decal), helmets/eye protection, ect....Basically, same as driving a car.....It's very important to have your OHV registered and have the green/yellow registration decal properly displayed. The new law, 316.2123 requires proof of ownership, which is having the OHV properly registered and having a copy of the registration with you. It's also very important to understand, PBSO increased OHV enforcement a couple years ago due to citizen complaints and injuries/crashes. As complaints, violations and injuries/crashes increase, so does the enforcement. Please be mindful of this and don't ruin it for everyone else. As for me, I think I'll go on vacation the first week of Oct......

Croom - does this mean we can ride the dirt road at Croom legally now?+

see the deputy is confirming my suspicions.The sherriff wants to opt out.thats his unofficial source.If they cant strongarm the commissioners into opting out they will be layin for us.Any little thing they can nail you for they will.It's like the county has been taken over by the hired guns we hired to clean it up.Buncha gangsters and bullies.The pbso is the problem in this county ,not the solution.Write sherriff bradshaw and ask him why he thinks he needs to do this.Call him,although he wont take yer calls ,he will know we are serious .Remeber this Bradshaw and the deputies....if we can afford the atv's  ,we can also afford good lawyers.I say again ....a buncha punks.

PBSO, does this mean the little green and yellow stickers will be proof of ownership or do we need to have a title with us? Will 59th be considered a dirt road that we can legally ride on? And is there a specific date and location for a meeting that we can go to on this subject? Most likely we won't make it because my pop will be out of state for basically the next 2 weeks, but others I'm sure would like to go.

And I must repeat, there must be great behaviour on this date. I would hate to see people illegally riding everywhere on Oct 1st and everyone getting this privilege taken away. If you want to go to a dirt road to legally ride on, either push it there or trailer it there.

Do we need to carry a copy of this new law?  Im up in Clay county and wonder sometimes about the deputies.  How will the loss of traction work? Atv tires are going to spin somewhat.

Spin? Where?

when the tires spin on dirt they make the dirt have a spun up look are cops going to be able to get you for lose of traction if the road has spin marks.

It just seems hard to take off sometimes. I ride our dirt roads now and dont act crazy so dont think that.

I don't think so, quads have a tendency to break traction like that. You might want to try not to "take off" as you're only allowed 35mph and wreckless driving will be a law that governs quads awell. If it's that bad you might want to get some new better tires for your quad.

my quad had brand new holeshots/razrs its call POWER.  Im not tryin to be rude but you seem to be a know it all.  Anyways yall keep the right side up and ill see yall in another post .

I understand power, but I meant to try not using all of it and to ride the clutch untill you're moving. Not that it matters, since you're not trying to mess up the road and it isn't against the law or anything.

duh

ive been thinking. a lot of my friends live on dirt roads and ride their atvs around and the cops never do anything as long as they dont act stupid or go on the main roads. ive been stopped before driving on a paved road and was just asked to get if off the road. most cops wont go through the trouble of having your bike impounded. now with this new law you have to have your atv registered, carry around papers, and have to worry about getting a ticket for doing something wrong. cops are gunna be pulling people over left and right now and its gunna be more trouble than it was before. i think im gunna be more nervous riding around on october 1st then i do now.

just what I said in another post.Just wait and see.I plan on being ticketed and plan on being in court with a good lawyer.I am callin my 4 wheeler a farm vehicle.If they try to take my quad you will see it on the 10 oclock news.

they are all punks.its like having to kiss a gangs ass to pass thru the neigborhood.I wont do it.Pbso is the biggest gang in florida.

So you've decided that giving atv riders a bad name by wrecklessly driving and mouthing off at the police would be a better choice then trying to give atv riders a better name?

no machine dog ...I did not say all that  you did.Stop trying to put words in my mouth ! i dont know why you feel you need to or are able to speak for me.If i get a spokes person for myself this person will not be a complete retard and will quote me correctly.Are there 2 diferent people posting with your name?One little kid and one adult?Appears so.Last post was the little kid.Go get your dad if you wanna mouth off.

I just feel it's not right to talk about the police like that, sorry if I offended you.

thanks for apologizing.We all need to choose our words more carefully sometimes

This new law is allready having a positive influence on me. Pending that PBC does not opt out, I will start wearing my riding helmet and goggles. ALL THE MORE REASON TO NOT OPT OUT. I will gladly wear my helmet for the privilidge to use the dirt roads.

Ok  i am happy for you then.I dont consider helmet and goggles as positive influence.I like to see and hear what's going on around me .Also I dont drive that fast.I  feel I am safer with no helmet and have never put one on my head.The law as I read it does not require that I reenforce my skull,maybe I read it wrong.I hope not.

How do I find out IF and WHEN Palm Beach County has opted out?

I'm keeping my quad in the dirt where it belongs.No speed limits or run ins with the cops.Wearing all my gear all the time is the only way to ride.All it takes is one crack on a hard surface with no helmet; I've seen it.

Call your commissioners and ask them to let you know when it is coming up on the agenda and show up and ask them if they opt out then they should find a place to ride. I am working with our commissioners now on this because they were gonna opt out. You should also talk to them about it while you have them on the phone. When it first came up for discussion here I did not know it and the problem was they had some people there that was asking them to opt out and noone stood up for it. You people should be calling your commissioners. Even if they have already decided to opt out then they can reverse their decision if enough people shows support. Maybe give them options when you talk to them. The commissioners I spoke with said that people call them and complain that atvers are driving on their private property and tearing it up. They are also concerned that if the surrounding counties opt out then our drt roads will become an ATV haven and the sheriff will not have enough manpower to control it. The problem is when the deputies try to pull over someone the atver speeds up and will not stop and if they pursue then it puts the atver in more danger so its best to stop the pursuit. Please people, the best thing to do is stop and take your punishment.

Well im going riding this sunday  ;D with some of the boys... if anyone else wants to come along were out in  :P Loxahatchee :P  PM me if interested...

-DirtyBlonde

I agree, if I'm going under 5 mph and mudding or something of that effect it allows me to see all around me and the helmet works to make you do more sweating that gets in your eyes at those speeds than anything else really. Mostly I keep mine on to escape the pain of getting whacked by anything, which includes tree branches, shed doors, ground-on-head contact, etc.

Well, it's legal to ride. Let's see what happens. I won't be riding till sometime tommorow though.

It appears the unpaved road law is holding up well in Palm Beach County and everyone seems to be riding responsiblely.  A fireman informed me that the OGEM roads which are unstriped and used in many roads in Jupiter Farms are considered unpaved and therefore, accessible by ATVS.  Does anyone know if this is true?

I live on 180th and was outside all day sunday. I saw about 24 atv's all day and about 6 being morans that are going to ruin it for the rest of us!!!!!!!!!!! Especialy the guys guys on the dirt bikes. This law doesn't cover dirt bikes and not only that they are ripping down the street. I have a dirt bike and a quad. When I ride my dirt bike I do not rip down the street because I know it going to draw attention because it's loud. I hate to say it but, it seems to be the young kids that are hauling a-- down the street. Guy's chill out and enjoy being able to ride around.

The young kids without drivers license are riding illegally and can get a ticket if they are not riding with a licensed driver. They need to also think that if they get a moving violation ticket before they actually get their drivers license. It could delay them from getting their drivers license until a later date. Maybe one of the officers can verify if it will or not.

Well, we've been having a great time riding around. You should see us passing at some point on 180th, we ride the quads in the sig. Everyone's just gotta use common sense and respect the laws if they want to continue having fun.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/22/Citrus/S...ger_ahead.shtml

http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...17/1078/college

click these to find out more!

Those links do not work

I have a question.The dirt roads are legal as long as the roads are posted to have a speed limit of 35 mph.I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't know dirt roads had speed limit signs.So if there is no sign, is that road still legal to ride on?And how are they to enforce speeding laws when atv's don't have speedomoters?

Please review the below statutes. Only unpaved roads LESS THAN 35mph are covered by the new law. Most dirt roads in residential areas are 30mph. Some non-residential ,main dirt roads are 35mph. As for speed, just be smart and rely on common sense. Going 40mph probably won't attract alot of attention, but 50-70mph will. I've stopped alot of non-registered ATVs. Please make sure it's registered and your decal is clearly visible. Also seems to be alot of night riding. We are taking a wait and see approach in PBC and overall, it's going ok. We are getting alot of complaints though. Mostly loud exhausts, donuts, speeding, and riding on paved roads. We are hoping once the newness wears off, riders will settle down some and complaints will decrease. If the complaints increase and we start getting injuries/crashes, the enforcement will be proactive instead of reactive. Let's all make sure it doesn't come to that!!!

316.2123  Operation of an ATV on certain roadways.--

(1)  The operation of an ATV, as defined in s. 317.0003, upon the public roads or streets of this state is prohibited, except that an ATV may be operated during the daytime on an unpaved roadway where the posted speed limit is less than 35 miles per hour by a licensed driver or by a minor under the supervision of a licensed driver. The operator must provide proof of ownership pursuant to chapter 317 upon request by a law enforcement officer.

(2)  A county is exempt from this section if the governing body of the county, by majority vote, following a noticed public hearing, votes to exempt the county from this section.

History.--s. 14, ch. 2006-290.



316.183  Unlawful speed.--

(1)  No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing. In every event, speed shall be controlled as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle, or other conveyance or object on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care.

So far I've only seen this from sport bikes riding around. We'll be out riding today later, but we haven't gotten the stickers for the Arctic Cat or Recon yet. I'm gonna put on the sticker for the rancher in a few minutes though. I'm hoping that most people realize how much it'd suck to lose the ability to not get ticketed and/or get your quad impounded by riding on dirt roads.

It's kids like you that are going to get pbc to opt out!! If you don't like the rules keep your ATV in the garage, Or drive out of the county to ride. As far as having to kiss the PBSO a$$ because there a gang?? Who's the first orginazation you'll call if your ATV get stolen. I'm sure pbc could have opted out from the get go, but they decided to see how it would work, and give us a chance. Here you go by insulting the PBSO. First, I think you should grow up and learn some manners. Second, You should just say thank you and have a nice day!!! Remember this is a privilege not a right!!!!
To all, Be safe and have fun..OUT

Well, October 1st has come and gone.  I haven't been riding since June.  Any updates on the dirt roads in ONF???

ONF dirt roads don't count.