The Fight Against FL HB 1033 (2018) and FL SB 1304 (2018)
Background:
Late in 2016, it came to my attention that a bill, funded by a billion-dollar startup, was set to be taken to the Florida House and Florida Senate, attempting to preempt regulation of bike share systems. This preemption would remove cities’ ability to control their carefully implemented operating systems and open the door to an increased number of vendors.
Should the bill pass, it could potentially put the streets of cities across the state in jeopardy as the dockless bike share technology being pushed was still unproven, and companies operating were far from responsible. At the time of this bill, two main companies frequently dumped tens of thousands of bikes in cities and provided little control over their management in the right-of-way. An additional half dozen companies, each venture capital-backed and none showing any sound business plan, added to the anarchy in the streets with their smaller fleets.
The North American Bike Share Association (NABSA), a coalition of cities and bike share operators, manufacturers, vendors, and advocates, expressly states that an action such as this is in direct violation of its bylaws as it conflicts with existing contracts and operation of a competitor in a predatory manner.
Objective:
Oppose and Stop both HB 1033 and SB 1304 from passing by any means necessary ensuring Florida cities remain in control of their right-of-way protecting existing programs.
Strategy:
Bike share is an overwhelmingly urban operation, and dockless bike share had yet to launch in the state of Florida at a large scale. Also, the bill was written in such a way that anyone would think it is providing a benefit to the state if he or she were unaware of the industry movement internationally. This meant that practically the entire Florida House and Senate would have no idea what they were voting on.
To stop HB 1033 and SB 1304, I had to ensure as many people, corporations, organizations, and municipalities as possible were reaching out to their elected officials in Tallahassee, as my voice (and my company) would not be loud enough to make any headway.
Tactics:
Needing to get the word out and opposition generated, Florida legislative session is only 60 calendar days long, I needed to diversify my key advocates quickly. As a small company without the funds to secure a lobbyist on retainer, we joined forces with a competitor, also a Florida-based company, to share the cost. We ensured we had a professional at the helm in Tallahassee while our grassroots efforts at home could build citizen opposition. NASBA also hired a lobbyist to join our efforts.
With my operations in Orlando, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, I reached out to cities through existing relationships. With dozens of meetings, I was able to drum up opposition from transportation staff, city council, and mayors. In addition, county commissioners and citizen-appointed county boards also took a stand. In Hillsborough County, I was able to call in a favor, scheduling agenda time within a week of the month’s committee meetings.
On a smaller scale, I was able to utilize my network of main streets, business districts, neighborhood associations, and our customers to continue opposition. Most groups wrote formal letters to either their elected official directly or encouraged their more powerful state-level groups to do so. I initiated a digital marketing campaign to our email list of nearly 75,000 across the state and promoted our opposition through social media ads, encouraging these individuals to write to their representative with a pre-written template.
Finally, I was able to persuade the St. Petersburg Chamber to take this opposition up as one of just a handful of action items on a trip to Tallahassee, which I joined. Able to easily navigate the bureaucracy with the Chambers’s support, I spoke directly with many representatives who were, in fact, unaware of the severity of repercussions should the bills pass.
Outcome:
Both HB 1033 and SB 1304 died in session. While I’m far from able to take sole credit for the death of both bills, with a handful of others across the state fighting my same battle, I was able to drum up opposition from nearly every major government body and community organization within my three cities of operation in addition to the individuals who signed on to our fight.
