North Port

[Baldy]

I have read numerous post about North Port. It's legal, it's illegal. I went out there Friday morning aroun 10am and a New Port police officer told me that they are not allowing people to ride in North Port. I told him that I read on a message board that it was legal to ride down there. He returned with "they are misinformed." There is no legal riding in North Port and that they are handing out tickets. He was very cool and told me that he wasn't going to give me a hard time because I was the only one out there. He asked that I make a post on the board letting everyone know that it is illegal to ride there. So that's what I am doing. I'm sure there will be plenty of responses which I encourage but I am just sharing with everyone what I was told be the man that could make your day miserable.

[adiobeartracker04]

What!! What area of North Port were you riding, cause Friday and Saturday Yorkshire are was packed, over 100 people all day long, no cops and Sunday was even crazier, hundreds of people swarming the place, no problems at all all weekend, Rode out in the afternoon Sunday around 2, never seen as many people as I did sunday.

[Toomey]

Maybe the 100's of people was too much for the cop to handle, and he ran away.  He seemed like a reasonable guy though.  Someone should let the cop borrow a quad, and he'll think it's really cool and fun, and then he'll be on OUR side!!!  

[racemanfl]

We got stopped right outside that big mudhole beside 75 in Yorkshire about 4:30 in the afternoon,
Cop told us we couldn't ride atv's on side of the road but the dirtbikes with us could,he said we had to ride the atv's in the woods only and push across streets,that sure didn't make any sense to us.
He asked for names to see if anyone had a warning before, and let us go without checking,he was pretty cool about it , Jerry

[Baldy]

I was parked over by the track off of Serris. I just got there and was buckling my boots when he pulled up. He was really cool. I wish they were all like that. It probably helped that I didn't give him any attitude. I hope all of this confusion ends soon. It takes me a little over two hours to get there. I flipped a coin between going there and going to Ocala and dealing with the hunters!!

[swfrhinorider]

I have not been up there yet. But knowing the laws they can not tell you to get off private land. As long as you don not park or ride on the county right of way they can not make you leave. Unless they have a sign tresspass from every land owner out there.  

[racemanfl]

Thats true but we were riding on side of road which I believe is county right of way   Jerry

[swfrhinorider]

Yes if you ride on the side of the road you can be arrestednot just ticketed. You must stay behind the the top of the swell of the ditch. But if you are stopped just be respectful and most of them will return the respect with just a warning.

[3l3m3ntX]

I ride out there every weekend almost and have never been stopped, I see the cops all the time but have never had them stop me. I guess it depends which cop is there and if he has had his donuts yet LOL.  

[Muddbuggy]

I have not been up there yet. But knowing the laws they can not tell you to get off private land. As long as you don not park or ride on the county right of way they can not make you leave. Unless they have a sign tresspass from every land owner out there.  

swfrhinorider is right the cops they cant make you leave.  Their are some No Trespassing areas that they can give tickets for being on the property.  
As for the law for OHV use in North Port (their is none reguarding OHV's) but the law does state that you can not operate an UNLICENSED VEHICLE ON THE ROADS which is your quad or dirt bike.  Their is a discrepency with the right of way though.  The Sheriff has said that the right of way is the same as the road way BUT if you drive your vehicle down the right of way (the swales or ditch) you will get a ticket because your not driving on the ROAD way.  GO FIGURE

The mud pit that you see from I-75 is off limits (and other areas too) do have a NO TRESPASSING affidavits in effect.

I have been a local to riding in NP for the past 15yrs and I have never got a ticket nor had my bike confiscated like some officers like to say they will do IF......

As for the people that ride NP every weekend have fun and follow the rules.  And for the new guys that come from out-of-town please try to keep the directions to your self.  

Like Adiobeartracker said
     
On any given weekend their 100's of ppl down their and I see more and more of new people riding the roads and that
WILL GET IT CLOSED DOWN FOR GOOD...  Nothing against the new people riding down their but riding areas are getting very scarce and I dont want to see NP closed.
 
IF you have any questions about the rules down their call me
941-724-6931 kevin

MB
       

[adiobeartracker04]

swfrhinorider is right the cops they cant make you leave.  Their are some No Trespassing areas that they can give tickets for being on the property.  
As for the law for OHV use in North Port (their is none reguarding OHV's) but the law does state that you can not operate an UNLICENSED VEHICLE ON THE ROADS which is your quad or dirt bike.  Their is a discrepency with the right of way though.  The Sheriff has said that the right of way is the same as the road way BUT if you drive your vehicle down the right of way (the swales or ditch) you will get a ticket because your not driving on the ROAD way.  GO FIGURE

The mud pit that you see from I-75 is off limits (and other areas too) do have a NO TRESPASSING affidavits in effect.

I have been a local to riding in NP for the past 15yrs and I have never got a ticket nor had my bike confiscated like some officers like to say they will do IF......

As for the people that ride NP every weekend have fun and follow the rules.  And for the new guys that come from out-of-town please try to keep the directions to your self.  

Like Adiobeartracker said
     
On any given weekend their 100's of ppl down their and I see more and more of new people riding the roads and that
WILL GET IT CLOSED DOWN FOR GOOD...  Nothing against the new people riding down their but riding areas are getting very scarce and I dont want to see NP closed.
 
IF you have any questions about the rules down their call me
941-724-6931 kevin

MB
       

Thats what bothers me,most of the  new/out of area people seem to like to ride on the roads more than the trails itself. While we were going to park, two raptors wearing no helemts or shirts were cruising down the middle of the road around a bend and almost hit us head on. Personally, if you want to ride on the roads, go somewhere else, as it only seems to cause problems, thus resulting in the closure of practically the only riding area within distance. But stayy off the roads, be respectful, and ride carefully, we can keep this ope with just a minor set of rules. Not meaning to rant, just bothers me when I see people doing stupid things that affect my riding.

[swfrhinorider]

Unfortunately in this sport a few bad apples will ruin it for the whole bunch. I saw two or three idiots riding their atv's on the road at the protest for the closing of Badluck. Everyone is out there trying to do the right thing and get some land to ride on and you have a couple of idiots ruining it. I guess stupid people are everywhere doing everything. "But if we did not have stupid people who would cook our cheese burgers and pick up our garbage.

[Barcusfoto]

we were there Sunday the 9th, got ran out by the police.
Said there was a new owner of the land south of Yorkshire and didn't want riders there but could ride on the North side of Yorkshire.

From what I have seen their big grip is everyone riding on the roadways and not the trails.

Some one is going to get hurt there and that will screw us all out of a place to ride

[Muddbuggy]

what area of yorkshire were you riding at?

MB

[Barcusfoto]

Off Yorkshire North of 75 after you go under the overpass the first road on the right about 1000 feet down there is a mud hole next to the road, this is where we usually park and ride from there.

[skizzfry]

i ride northport every weekend and its tough to call. sometimes the man kicks me out and sometimes they dont even look at you and just drive past. all and all i wouldnt drive two hours to northport its to much of a risk.it would be a long ride home if the cops kick you out,which is a good chance on the weekends. but i wouldnt worry about getting your bike taken, or a fine. But if you do go please dont ride on the roads. Its just asking for a wheelchair if ya do. I dont know if anybody heard but a couple of weeks ago some dude was hallin ass on the roads in cape coral and now he is in the dirt....lierally....hes dead.

[Muddbuggy]

Off Yorkshire North of 75 after you go under the overpass the first road on the right about 1000 feet down there is a mud hole next to the road, this is where we usually park and ride from there.

dude that Mr. duff's property and YES theirs a NO TRESPASS AFIDAVIT on all his properties.

[adiobeartracker04]

the big sand pit of the mud pit that you can see from 75?

[Muddbuggy]

the big sand pit of the mud pit that you can see from 75?

Yeah both areas belong to Mr. Duff.  I do ride through the areas I just dont park or hangout in the areas.  

[Anoriginal]

Keep in mind the majority of the property in the North Port area is owned by a single developer. This is the remains of a project that went bust in the mid 80's. The simple fact is, if you do not have express permission from a particular property owner to ride on a particular parcel of property, you are tresspassing. If you do have permission and venture off that particular property, you are tresspassing. There have been numerous warnings issued over the years with posted signs vandalized over and over again.  It doesn't matter if its private property or not. If you are questioned and do not have the right answers (i.e. - who owns the property, when did you speak with them, etc.) they CAN force you to leave. It's called probable cause. Don't be fooled otherwise.

There is and never had been anything "legal" about North Port absent a minor scattering of private property hear and ther. And then, it was only for a select group having express permission. People in the North Port area are rumbling these days about the illegal ATV use. In addition, I know for a fact that numerous individuals have approached the land owners about leasing huge portions of the property for cattle grazing.

Different cops will tell you different things depending on the day. Bottom line is that they are authorized to and will ticket you if they are so inclined. This place is an illegal riding spot and the days are numbered for anyone to ride. It is only a matter of time before they come down hard and people start losing their bikes and going to jail.

Not trying to be Mr. Buzz Kill, but this topic gets tossed around all the time without anyone stating it in plain terms. If you ride there, you are tresspassing and breaking the law. Pretty simple. I don't like it any more than the rest of you, but it's true.

[Muddbuggy]

Mr Anorginal
It is just like any other riding area, if it is not an organized riding park it will eventually get closed down.  NP is the largest mass of land in the state of florida that is undevolped but it is not owned by the city of NP nor the state, the area was supposed to grow and develope in the late 70's by the baby boomers (and still has not yet). The Yorkshire area is all individual single family lots.

your quote:
There is and never had been anything "legal" about North Port absent a minor scattering of private property hear and there.

There is nothing "illegal" about riding in NP, on the many properties Unless otherwise posted or filed with the City of North Port.  Currently There are 2 property owners (Mr. Duff and Mr Fulincamp) that have filed no tresspassing afidavits on there properties, so YES it is ILLEGAL to ride on there properties.  As far as the other many properties in the Yorkshire area in North Port there is no law in the books stating it is illegal to ride on his/her property BUT the city of North Port cant not and will not give permission to do so.

The only laws the police can enforce(without fabricating
them) is if your under 16 and riding w/o a helmet, riding OHV's on the roads, drinking and driving And of course tresspassing you can plan on getting a ticket.

MB

[Anoriginal]

Mudbuggy:

Don ot take this in the wrong way, I know you are a concerned rider and I wish more of us were like you. I appreciate your opinions, but you are incorrect. As someone who has years of experience in this field. Regardless of whether or not there is a tresspass affidavit, you can be ticketed. If you cannot show indicia of ownership or permission, you give them probable cause and you can be penalized.

Also, NP is by leaps and bounds not the largest land mass unowned by the state or municipality. There are numerous other privately held parcels exceeding NP's size. As far as the Yorkshire area being all private lots, that's incorrect as well. It is subdivided into individual lots; however, the majority are held in mass by corporate entities, the largest being the remains of the original development company.

As for there being "no laws on the books" about not tresspassing, I'm not sure what you mean as that is completely incorrect. Florida Statutes clearly dictate that if you don't own or otherwise have permission to be on property, you are tresspassing. This isn't something that is grey or unclear, it's a fact.

I'm not being a jerk or trying to sound like I am the end all be all on this subject. I just know exactly what I am talking about on this subject and I hate to hear stories of my fellow ATV'rs getting ticketed or arrested. (If you'd like me to ellaborate, send me a private message and we'll chat) Please do not spread misinformation. People need to understand that riding in North Port is illegal unless you get express permission to do so. Chances are you'll be able to ride out there and never have any trouble for the longest time. But, like it or not, you ride there, you are definitely breaking the law.

[2Raptors]

Currently There are 2 property owners (Mr. Duff and Mr Fulincamp) that have filed no tresspassing afidavits on there properties, so YES it is ILLEGAL to ride on there properties.

The bad news about that is they are the owners of about 95% of the land out there.  The city owns a few large parcels and a couple individual owners own a few single family lots.  So odds are when your leaving Duff's & Fullencamp's land your going onto more of their land.  Things will only get worse if and when they start selling off the lots for developement .

[Muddbuggy]

 My information comes from the city commisioners the sheiff and the OHV commitee wehter it is correct or not. This is what I have heard and be told, so that is what I go by.


I have rode theYorkshire area for the better part of 10yrs and used to ride where bobcat trails is located before it was developed.

MB

[Barcusfoto]

here is a question. I have been told by several that yes it is private property and  yes, and no about the tresspass situation being on record. However, it is my understanding that the city police has no authority on "private" property. Example, have a fender bender in Publix parking lot and try to get a report. It happened on private property, we have no jurisdication there. If you are lucky you might get the sherriffs office to give you one, or FHP but it's like finding a needle in a hay stack. I have also been told that florida's no tresspassing laws have so many flaws in them that most courts won't hold them up unless it invloves school property. I have spoke with several people FHP, NP police, Sarasota Co. Deputies, Venice Police and an attroney on this issue and all have given me a different story with some being the same.  T

What really gets me, you and I along with serveral hundered other people know that one time or another one of the above mentioned law enforcement officials mentioned above has been out there riding their dirt bike or quad, if not more. Now they are on duty and run you out. We as adults having a fun day with our families in the one local area where people ride legal or not are the one's that get the shaft from many of the same law enforcement officials that were out there last weekend or the weekend before or whenever, riding their quads. What is a person to do or believe..........