Pasco County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved new rules permitting golf cart operations along certain public trails and roadways.
The expanded golf cart operations in unincorporated Pasco County will be limited to multi-use paved trails, generally ten feet or wider, connected to a county road or state highway. The paths still require county authorization.
To keep guidance consistent, county leaders consolidated eight resolutions designating authorized golf cart paths, dating back to 1988, into one unified resolution.
The amended county ordinance (PDE27-1048) passed by commissioners also institutes a new administrative system for designating "authorized trails."
The ordinance allows the continued use of golf carts on roads where they were already permitted and gives the county engineer authority to approve new authorized roadways for golf carts based on certain criteria like traffic flow and speed.
The amended ordinance also requires the county to publish a Golf Cart Network (GCN) Map to illustrate where golf carts are permitted to operate.
These changes are in response to requests from county residents and law enforcement for "clearer designation and operating standards ... to promote safe interactions between golf cart, bicyclists and pedestrians," according to a county memo for the ordinance.
