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Residents could drive golf carts in residential areas of Orange Park if town council approves

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — The Town of Orange Park may soon allow residents to drive golf carts on residential roads in town, if the council approves a new proposal.

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Currently, the proposal in its early stages of drafting. Vice Mayor Alan Watt says both his and the town council’s top priority, is to make sure people are safe.

“There are a lot of people that would like to be able to use golf carts,” says Watt.

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Watt says if the proposal does pass, golf carts will only be able to be driven for residential use.

No one can drive golf carts on main roads in the town of Orange Park, including Park Avenue, Kingsley Avenue, Wells Road or Doctors Lake Drive.

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“The ordinance is very restrictive,” says Watt.

According to the draft that Action News Jax obtained, a person must be 16 years of age or older, and also have a valid driver’s license to operate the golf cart.

“Which eliminates what some people were worried about — a 12-year-old driving out in the middle of the street,” says Watt.

The golf carts can also only go up to 25 miles per hour.

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The ordinance even states that people can drive golf carts at night.

“Right now, you can drive at night, assuming your golf cart has taillights, brake lights, headlights, a windshield,” says Watt.

Robert Wagner, who owns Masterbilt Golf Carts in Orange Park, believes that the town is doing a good thing.

“It just simplifies matters when you don’t have to drag the gas-guzzling car out just to do errands around the neighborhood,” says Wagner.

With so much vehicle traffic at certain times of the day in Orange Park, Action News Jax asked Watt if he believes allowing golf carts to be driven is a good idea.

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“That question came up: How do we make sure everyone understands? There will be funding for signage, lots of signage that makes the rules of the road very clear,” says Watt.

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Action News Jax did ask Watt how much funding the town is looking to get for such signage. He says for now, the council doesn’t know. The first reading for this ordinance will happen during the next town council meeting in January.