JUPITER, Fla. — I've been reporting extensively in recent months on e-bikes and how communities are adjusting to their growing presence.
WPTV listened to the police chief in Jupiter, a town touched by an e-bike tragedy, on what he sees as the best way to keep the community safe going forward.
A few weeks ago, Shari Dobuler was walking with her mother in their Jupiter neighborhood when she had to act fast.
"I had to move her off the sidewalk then I jumped on to the grass as they flew on by," Dobuler said.
"They" were a group of young e-bike riders.
"I was just happy I didn't have AirPods in, and that my mom can hear well," Dobuler said.
I had the chance to listen to Interim Jupiter Police Chief Don Hennessy, who said the department has stepped up e-bike enforcement in the past year.
"Do you think e-bikes are a problem in the community?" I asked.
"I think e-bikes can create challenges within a community," Hennessy said. "Because you have a big portion of the population that may not know how to properly use them or follow the laws."
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What brought the e-bike issue to the forefront was the death of a middle school student last March.
"Anytime you have any loss of life, particularly loss of life of a younger person like we saw last year, it's tragic. It shakes the community to the core," Hennessy said.
Numbers compiled by the department show that since March 2025, 145 e-bike traffic stops were made and 178 citations and warnings issued, with seven e-bike crashes and eight e-bike-related injuries. In the same period, the department held a town hall and five e-bike safety events.
"We've taken a multi-pronged approach between education and enforcement," Hennessy said.
In November, the town banned e-bikes from fields and sidewalks at town parks. While state lawmakers may take up a bill that would require licenses for certain e-bikes, Jupiter PD plans to work with Town Council on evaluating any future municipal e-bike ordinances.
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One thing they are putting together in the new year is an online e-bike safety course.
"It's hard to expect 12, 13, 14 year olds to understand the rules of the road they haven't been taught. We wanted to create a platform not just for the kids, but anyone who wants to ride an e-bike," Hennessy said.
The chief will submit his report to the Town Council Tuesday night, but he wants the community to know his officers will be out by the middle schools Tuesday morning when kids go back to class to make sure the e-bike riders are following the rules of the road.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
