Uber, Lyft rules may be job for legislators

Antonio Fins

Rather than seeing it as a retreat, could it be more productive to view this month’s Uber votes by the commissions in Palm Beach and Broward counties as a time-out? An opportunity to seek engagement by a higher power: Tallahassee?

One of Florida’s most important business groups, Associated Industries of Florida, says calling on the state government to step in and level the proverbial playing fifield is sensible. One set of rules covering the whole state for transportation networks such as Uber and Lyft could make for a more consistent approach than 67 difffffffffffferent sets of county rules governing for-pay ridebooking.

Tom Feeney, president and CEO of the AIF, said the group has been a consistent opponent of the growing patchwork of local regulations.

“Uber-type capabilities help business travelers and Florida residents have choice and quality options,” Feeney said in West Palm Beach last week. “Onerous local regulations hamper Florida in 21st- century technology advancement opportunities.”

Other business groups could get in line, too, after seeing how Broward, for the moment, has regulated Uber out of a county of almost 2 million people, and how close Palm Beach came to doing the same up here.

In fact, state legislators debated bills last session aimed at regulating Uberlike transportation services. Both bills, HB 817 and SB 1326, failed. Had they passed, perhaps we all would have been spared at least some of the drama in county commission chambers this summer.

Punt-to-Tallahassee critics will say, with justifified skepticism, that there are no assurances legislators and the governor will act. Others say it’s governance best left to local governments.

“We think it should stay at the county level,” said Rebecca Walls, spokeswoman for the advocacy group Who’s Driving You. “Those (local governments) know their areas best.”

Agreed, and countywide regulations have worked for regulating taxi service. If it’s not broke, don’t fifix it.

But it’s not working — especially politically — for statewide transportation networks such as Uber and Lyft.

Uber is a classic case of a 21st- century disruptive technology crashing into a 20th-century regulated business. Leaving Uber untouched is not fair, yes, and most sane people want effffffffffffective rules on insurance and security.

But driving Uber out of town is unwise, too, and selfdefeating for a state trying to lure tech businesses and millennials. It’s like saying: “Come to Florida; we’re still in the 20th century.”

One other thing — the slippery slope. If counties are going to regulate app-driven transportation networks, what happens when they get calls to nanny dating and hook-up networks like Ashley Madison and Tinder? And you thought the Uber battle was ugly.

AIF might be right that regulating Uber and its peers at the state level could be the compromise everyone is looking for.

Just a thought.