Charlotte syncs rules for golf carts with state regs

Old General Development plats and canals studied

Charlotte County unanimously revised section 2-4-10 of the county code concerning golf carts to align with state law, including which roads are designated. It also allows a replat of a roadway to designate them for golf carts with planning staff. Sean Cullinan, planning and zoning official for Charlotte County, told the commission at its Feb. 25 meeting that the intent was to ensure the consistency of rules across the state.

“The intent of the resolution is to ensure the consistency of changes,” Cullinan said. “There are very specific design standards you have to have to be a golf course community.”

The discussion included cleaning up a previous ordinance, defining what a golf cart is and allowing planning staff to look at design standards rather than having the commission designate. 

There was only one speaker, a regular at meetings, Jeff Lustig, who lives in the Kingsgate area of the county, to the east. “I still to this day don’t know what’s legal and what’s not legal,” Lustig said. “I still can’t tell somebody where you can ride and what you can do.”

The ordinance passed unanimously. 

At the meeting, the commission also looked at the dozens of unplatted tracts that were a legacy of the bankruptcy of the assets of the General Development Company, that developed Port Charlotte and North Port and other Florida towns. Many were planned to be canals or wetlands, which could never be built on because of state law.

“These canals would have been platted and dedicated had the state not stepped in,” Cullinan said.

Planner Cullinan told the commission that there were about two inches of deeds, unplatted, that were transferred to the county. “Not all the plats were named consistently,” Cullinan said. In the presentation, he showed parcels that required direction. The canals that were platted were designed to be held in trust for the general public. However, there are occasionally places were nearby property owners would like to build docks.

Commissioner Stephen Deutsch proposed a motion to send the county parcels to public hearing even before Sean Cullinan had finished his staff presentation.

“I think we need to just get through this presentation,” Commission Chairman Joe Tiseo said.

Commissioners agreed that the issue needed more discussion. Complicating factors included whether there were deed restrictions, and what state rules were for things like canal clearance and mangrove removal. “Deed restrictions are private,” Cullinan reminded. “We have no way to enforce them.”

The Charlotte Commission also did the following:

• They sent to public hearing a speed limit change on Veterans Boulevard, which passed 3-2.
• Officials also offered a run-down of hurricane related costs across the county. They still have about $97 million negative balance, and FEMA obligations at $133 million have not been received. The county voted, for instance, to move ahead with a Rotonda bridge reconstruction even as it had not been approved by FEMA.

Golf cart rules

A golf cart means any motor vehicle designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational purposes and not capable of exceeding speeds of 20 miles per hour on level ground.

Prior to designation of any roadway under subsections (c)(1) or (c)(2) above, the County Engineer or designee must determine that golf carts may safely travel on or cross the roadway based upon criteria including, but not limited to, posted speed limits, traffic volume and character, sight distances and roadway geometry, consistent with applicable Florida Statutes.