Dear Members, Supporters and Partners,
Thank you. From November 2025 to October 2026 you made it possible for the Florida Bicycle Association to teach more riders in more communities, speak for people who ride in county halls, in Tallahassee and in Washington, and put practical, free tools into the hands of families, schools, police and local governments. The Year in Review that follows sets out the work against our North Star: Education changes behavior. Infrastructure protects people. Policy prioritizes safety.
Three results stand out. When the 2026 e-bike bill was vetoed in June, we built a plain-language, current-law e-bike library in four languages and, on 28 Oct, published a model recommendation for state and local rules that puts education first. Our rodeos, classes, and school program reached children, parents, seniors and new e-bike riders from Pinellas to Palm Beach. And we strengthened the partnerships that turn advice into practice, with FDOT's Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Coalition, planning organizations, counties, police, and bicycle clubs.
Notice of the Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Florida Bicycle Association will be held on Friday 11 Dec, 2026, at 12:00 Eastern, by Zoom. Members will receive the link by email before the meeting. The agenda: the President's report, the Treasurer's financial report, the results of the members' ballot, and questions from members. The Board meeting held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting follows immediately, and the Board will elect the officers for the coming year.
Officer slate and members' ballot
The Board's slate is President, Rich Garrett; Vice President, Eugene Rider; Secretary, Jonathan Gilbert; and Treasurer, Cindy Penn. Every member in good standing on the date of this notice may record a view on each office, one response per member, on a short online ballot open from Monday 30 Nov to Monday 07 Dec, 2026. We will email the link 24 hours before the ballot opens and send a reminder before it closes. Under our bylaws the Board elects the officers; the Board will have the members' results before it votes, and the minutes will record them.
Serve with us
We are looking for Board members-at-large and for advocates in every region. If you would like to serve on the Board, send a letter of interest and a short statement of your qualifications to president@floridabicycle.org. Board candidates attend at least one Board meeting before the Board considers a nomination. If you would rather help in your own community as a Bicycle Safety Ambassador or a Bicycle Club Liaison, tell us that too, and we will put you to work.
Thank you for riding with us, and for standing with us.
Rich Garrett
President, Florida Bicycle Association
Included below is a brief ‘Year in Review’ covering November 2025 to October 2026.
The Florida Bicycle Association is a statewide nonprofit led by a volunteer Board, with part-time support for communications and programs. Everything below was delivered by that team, our League Cycling Instructors, and the partners named with each item.
Education changes behavior
Rodeos. Youth bike rodeos and skills events with Connect Pinellas and the Pinellas Urban League in St. Petersburg (Feb), the Manatee County Safety Jam in Bradenton (Feb), Sarasota County Parks in Englewood (Mar), Newtown in Sarasota (Apr) and Boca Raton (May). By June our rodeos had reached about 400 children. The August back-to-school rodeo with the Sarasota Police Department and the YMCA added more than 100 more.
Adult classes. E-Bike Smart Cycling instruction for adults, from Venice in March to talks for homeowner and neighborhood associations and bicycle clubs, plus helmet-fitting training in June.
Safer Students. With an FDOT safety subgrant, four schools used FBA's online bicycle safety quiz (flbikesafetyquiz.com) in the classroom. More than 600 student results are on record.
Field guides. Six e-bike and bicycle guides rebuilt in October in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole: e-bike classes and rules of the road, a card for drivers and a card for riders. Free at floridabicycle.org/ebikes.
New instructors. A League Cycling Instructor seminar comes to St. Petersburg on 08 to 10 Jan, 2027 (registration closes 18 Dec, 2026). FBA reimburses half the $550 tuition, $275, once a new instructor completes three Smart Cycling sessions or three rodeo sessions.
Infrastructure protects people
Statewide. FBA is a member of FDOT's statewide Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Coalition. We took part in the July quarterly meeting in Orlando (roadway design, e-bikes, crash data, education and the next five-year plan) and submitted bicycle-safety recommendations for the Florida Driver Handbook review in June.
Planning partners. A July working session with Palm Beach TPA partners set a staged way for FBA to support local planning, backed by our guides and law-enforcement education materials. Board members carry FBA's rider perspective to planning organizations in South, Central and Southwest Florida.
Trails and corridors. Support for the SUN Trail network, including the St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop, and rider-focused design questions to FDOT District One on the SR 776 bicycle lanes in Englewood.
Policy prioritizes safety
E-bikes. After the 25 Jun veto of CS/SB 382, FBA published a current-law e-bike package that separates lawful Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes, with motors of less than 750 watts, from higher-powered devices.
Model recommendation. On 28 Oct FBA published Micromobility Safety and Classification: A Model Recommendation for Florida, with a Local Edition for counties and municipalities. It offers clear device classes, education delivered alongside any local rule, and plain notice of local rules to riders. It is a guideline, not a filed bill.
Local ordinances. Analysis and recommendations on local micromobility ordinances in Daytona Beach and Pinellas County, and a comment letter to Palm Beach County ahead of its 01 Dec hearing.
Federal. FBA at the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit in Washington (Mar); a meeting with U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan and staff on bicycle and pedestrian safety (Jun); Board support for the federal omnibus bike bill and for truck side underride guards (May).
Distracted driving. Continued support for hands-free driving legislation with the Hands-Free Florida coalition.
Partnerships and reach
Partners. Connect Pinellas, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, the Sarasota Police Department, the YMCA, county and city partners, and bicycle clubs. Sumter Landing Bicycle Club committed to join as a Community Partner.
Media. About 110 articles and posts in the first half of the year, the FBA in the News page, and The Florida Bicycle Brief podcast on Substack. FBA spoke with Bay News 9 and the Miami Herald and supported 10 Tampa Bay's e-bike coverage.
Governance. New officers took office in November 2025 and a new Treasurer in December. The Board adopted a social media policy, moved its project tracking to monday.com, and in October added general liability cover written for our education events.
Finances. The Treasurer will present the financial report at the Annual Meeting.
Looking ahead to 2027
New instructors from the January seminar, more counties choosing education first, a voice in the 2027 legislative session, Florida's Legislative Day at the 2027 National Bike Summit, and a growing network of volunteers. If you can help with any of it, reply to this letter or write to president@floridabicycle.org.
