Councilman Ray Garcia called Miami Lakes “a golf cart community” during the Feb. 18 council meeting.
“Not only do the owner of the golf carts have to be educated on what to do, but also the people that drive in our town,” Garcia said.
Councilman Alex Sanchez had proposed in an agenda item that the town do more to encourage golf cart owners to practice safe driving.
The open-air ride around town is popular: Neighborhoods host golf cart parades on holidays, parents use them to shuttle their children to school and owners drove them in the 2024 Veterans Parade.
There are 70 golf carts registered in Miami Lakes, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office said.
They share roads with cars, SUVs and trucks. A Jan. 17 crash between a golf cart and Jeep Compass at Northwest 67th Avenue and Miami Lakeway North drew the attention of officials.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue treated both drivers and a toddler who was in the golf cart at the scene, a police report said.
Owners must register golf carts and pay a $50 fee; get an annual inspection; affix a decal to the back of the cart and carry liability insurance.
Carts must have:
• Properly functioning brakes, reliable steering and turn signals
• Safe tires, rearview mirrors and for night driving, headlights and a windshield
• Seat belts
• Reflectors on the front and rear of the golf cart.
Residents cannot operate golf carts on sidewalks or the three county roads -- Northwest 57th Avenue; Northwest 67th Avenue and Northwest 87th Avenue -- but may cross those avenues at traffic lights.
The council also discussed drivers’ ages.
Fifteen and 16-year-olds with either a learner’s permit or a driver’s license can legally operate a golf cart.
“Anybody over 18 just has to have an ID,” Maj. Jose Gonzalez told the council.
For driving rules and to register a golf cart go to https://bit.ly/4beYrr7.