There are laws on the books about how vehicles for hire can do business.
Taxicabs follow them. Uber and Lyft largely haven’t.
Yet, the city has issued only seven citations since laws were changed in 2013. None have been issued in over a year.
City Council member John Crescimbeni wanted to know why the city isn’t enforcing its own compliance rules that require city-approved inspections, insurance and medallions.
Some on a Vehicles for Hire Committee say the companies simply are “thumbing their noses” at the laws.
Crescimbeni felt stronger: “I would describe it more as the one-finger salute.”
Officials with the companies were who advocated the changes, he said. But they continue not to comply and even try to dodge enforcement.
“They go out of their way to avoid that,” said Crescimbeni.
“Why we are tolerating that, I don’t know.”
UberX — the non-black car service — and Lyft drivers go through background checks, have their vehicles inspected and receive insurance through their respective companies. Advocates say those standards are higher than the city’s.
City law requires drivers to work for registered vehicle-for-hire companies — the digital dispatchers are not. Drivers can start their own companies and be self-employed and follow city regulations to be compliant.
That hasn’t happened and cab companies have cried foul over an uneven playing field.
Council on Tuesday passed a moratorium on medallion renewal until March 31. That’s the date the committee looking at the issue will come back with solutions.
There is still a law on the books, though.
As Crescimbeni and other members of the committee found out Thursday, the city hasn’t enforced it for more than a year. The last time was a sting set up with city parking officials and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office during the 2014 Florida-Georgia game.
Just seven citations have been issued since the 2013 law went into effect. Five public parking citations went to Uber drivers and the parent company and a lawsuit followed. However, County Court Judge Scott Mitchell dismissed the five citations for various reasons that included lack of information on the tickets.
An UberX defense that the city’s laws violated the Equal Protection Clause of the state and federal government failed. The city’s vehicles-for-hire law was upheld, although Mitchell opined there were inconsistencies within it.
The city didn’t issue citations during that lawsuit over the past year, Public Parking Division official Guy Smith told the committee. And even if they could, there are hurdles on enforcement.
Cab companies have marked cars, are easy to identify and know him, Smith said. Unmarked Uber and Lyft vehicles are tougher to spot and would require probable cause to pull over.
Even then, Smith said, he has no means of stopping a vehicle without the help of the sheriff’s office.
An agitated Crescimbeni requested additional enforcement from the city by way of stings on New Year’s Eve and during the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl. It will require the help the sheriff’s office, which typically prioritizes security and traffic during such event.
However, Crescimbeni said it would take minimal assistance.
“We only need one (officer) to do this,” he said.
He added that council could pay for it out of the city’s budget for the cause. At one point he even said he’d pay for it out of his own pocket if it meant it got done.
Mayor Lenny Curry’s administration will follow up with the request.
There is a bill filed in the Florida House that would address digital dispatch companies on a statewide level, but local elected officials aren’t taking a chance for that to stall. The council committee decided it will continue to pursue a local solution and meet again in January.
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