Blue Duck scooters launched their app-based transit system in Pensacola on April 11

On Monday, a citizen alerted the city attorney that Blue Duck did not have a business license

The PPD ordered the removal of the electric scooters from Pensacola on Tuesday

The city is now deciding whether to craft an ordinance that would allow Blue Duck back in Pensacola

Less than two weeks after launching in Pensacola, Blue Duck Scooters have been removed from downtown after city officials learned the scooter sharing service did not have a business license to operate in the city.

City spokeswoman Allie Norton said the San Antonio-based transit company had its e-scooters removed from downtown on Tuesday. While they are not permanently banned, there is no timetable for their return.

"Our city's attorney's office was approached by a citizen Monday who told us that the scooter company was operating without a city of Pensacola business license," Norton said. "Our city attorney confirmed this, then asked (Pensacola Police Department) Police Chief Tommi Lyter to let company representatives know they had to stop operations and collect their scooters."

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Before Blue Duck can acquire a business license — which company representatives said they are prepared to do — Norton said the city has decided to research the legality of motorized scooter use on city sidewalks and could possibly craft an ordinance that would allow the company to return downtown.

The City Council would have to approve any proposed ordinance. The state allows each city to determine whether it will regulate motorized scooter use.

"Florida allows it if local municipalities have an ordinance in place that say it's OK," Norton said. "We're not saying that this business isn't welcome in Pensacola, we just have to make sure it's legally allowed. And the way we make sure it's legally allowed is by letting our legal department research it and then having city counsel sign off on it."

Blue Duck National Director of Government Affairs Casey Whittington said the company has gotten great feedback from users since launching in Pensacola on April 11 and would like to remain in the city for the long haul.

"We have no intention of leaving," Whittington said. "We're being very transparent with the city and working with them on this process as they go through some things. But we aren't worried about the process."

How Blue Duck Scooters works

For the past couple of weeks, the roughly 30 e-scooters have been docked at various locations downtown, waiting for users to unlock them through the Blue Duck Scooter app. After use, the company encourages riders to drop them off at their destination points.

Blue Duck employees stationed in Pensacola collected the scooters each night before servicing them and returning them the following morning for deployment.

No injuries or incidents have been reported to the PPD since Blue Duck arrived in Pensacola, according to police records.

Still, some people like Tim Richardson, a frequent Pensacola visitor who said he plans to soon move to the city, are concerned about the scooters. Richard has seen a number of scooter sharing service companies come through his native Nashville.

"It's not a welcome addition to Nashville in the sense that no one knows the rules around scooter ridership, so the people on the scooters are riding on the sidewalks, they're riding in the bike lanes, they're riding in the streets, and they're weaving in and out of all these different channels of transportation," Richardson said. "So you never really know what scooter riders are going to do so it's hard for drivers to drive safely and defensively. It's hard for pedestrians, too. It creates a lot of anxiety and anger, to be honest with you."

He said he backs the city's decision to pause Blue Duck operations in Pensacola.

"We love Pensacola and we want to move there, so we want it to stay walkable," Richardson said, on behalf of his family. "We want it to stay pleasant and walkable, and we feel like scooters work against that."

Making downtown Pensacola walkable

A host of downtown businesses like Global Grill, Nomadic Eats and Taco Agave have made positive posts on social media recently to either endorse the Blue Duck scooters or make residents aware of them.

Downtown Improvement Board Executive Director Lissa Dees said she thinks the last-mile transportation system would be a fabulous fit in Pensacola, as long as it is deemed legal and safe by the city.

"Mayor Grover Robinson has said he wants our streets to be 'Complete Streets' and multi-modal streets that include bikes, roller blades and scooters like these," Dees said. "So I think (Blue Duck) can absolutely be a positive and a plus, but if any company is going to come here, they need to establish their business. If they are going to take up public assets like the sidewalk, they need to get it cleared with the city."

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Bills currently in the state House and Senate would set up a regulatory framework for the shared scooter service industry, but nothing has been finalized.

Whittington, Blue Duck's government affairs director, said he is accustomed to that gray area, and said the company is willing to cooperate fully so it can get its scooters back downtown permanently.

"If you look at most city codes and charters there doesn't really exist a bucket that you can place this business model in," Whittington said. "So what we're doing with a lot of our city partners is we're just saying, 'Hey, here's how we think we fit here, and here's how we would like it and here's how we think we'd protect you guys and the citizens.'

"So just working together on those things is really crucial."

Jake Newby can be reached at jnewby@pnj.com or 850-435-8538.