Have you ever wondered how much restrictions, if any, are placed on skateboarders in Florida?
One such rumor a viewer asked us about in our Traffic Inbox suggests it's illegal to operate one in the Sunshine State without a proper license.
Tim, from east Orlando, wrote:
I recently just moved here from up north and read online that it is illegal to operate a skateboard in Florida without a driver's license. Is this true?
It's no surprise that warm and sunny temperatures year-round across Central Florida mean a lot of pedestrians -- and skateboarders -- on the sidewalks and secondary roadways throughout the area.
It was surpising, though, to see a significant amount of websites claiming that it was, indeed, illegal to operate a skateboard in the state of Florida without a license.
Some label it as one of the country's stranger rules of the road.
To get to the bottom of this, I caught up recently with the Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes to find out once and for all, true or false: Is it illegal to skateboard without a license?
Here's her answer:
Thats not true. If you want to ride a skateboard in the state of Florida, you are considered to be a pedestrian and are not required to have a driver's license.
There you have it. You don't need a license or even a state ID to skateboard in Florida, and as long as you're not skating in an area where it's prohibited, you're not breaking the law.