You don’t see as many hitchhikers on Florida roads anymore. For years, spotting a person carrying a rucksack and sticking out their thumb in a hopeful manner was a fairly common sight.
The hitchhiking glory days were from the Great Depression, when it was the only affordable way for many people to travel, during World War II, when giving a ride to a soldier was patriotic, and in the 1960s and 70s for young people in the growing counterculture when books like Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and songs like Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” painted it as a grand cross-country adventure, according to History.com.
But law enforcement crackdowns, some high-profile murder cases for both hitchhikers and people who picked them up, faster highway speeds and even some gory horror movies painted hitchhiking as wildly irresponsible and dangerous. The advent of mobile phones also made it less likely for motorists to be stuck on the side of the road with a dead car, hoping to get a lift to get help.
But what about now? Is it legal to travel the Florida roads by thumb?
Is it legal to hitchhike in Florida?
Sort of.
You can’t hitchhike on limited access facilities, defined as interstate highways, expressways, turnpikes, toll roads, or freeways (or on ramps leading to them) because Florida Statute 316.130 (18) bans pedestrians there. “No pedestrian shall walk upon a limited access facility or a ramp connecting a limited access facility to any other street or highway.”
Bicycles, animal-drawn vehicles, and smaller motor-driven cycles or motor scooters are also prohibited on limited access facilities, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
That still leaves city streets and county roads. But only if there are no local ordinances against it and you’re careful where you walk.
Florida Statute 316.130(5) says, “No person shall stand in the portion of a roadway paved for vehicular traffic for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment, or business from the occupant of any vehicle.”
That suggests that standing in an unpaved area is fine. Just don’t stand or walk on the road, which is a good idea just on general principles.
The state even clarified that in 1974, when then-Assistant Attorney General Gerald L. Knight told the West Palm Beach City Manager that municipalities could not regulate hitchhiking beyond state law. In his letter, he wrote:
“This provision was interpreted in AGO 072-311 as prohibiting hitchhiking only when the pedestrian soliciting a ride is doing so upon a portion of a roadway ‘paved for vehicular traffic,’ and not otherwise” (italics his).
Currently, hitchhiking is generally legal in 44 states and banned in Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wyoming.
Can you hitchhike on highway ramps in Florida?
No. “No pedestrian shall walk upon a limited access facility or a ramp connecting a limited access facility to any other street or highway.” Exceptions are made for government maintenance personnel.
Hitchhiking on a city or county road just before a highway ramp is legal, if you stay off the pavement and local laws permit it, but it’s also dangerous since you’re asking a vehicle powering up to highway speeds to abruptly stop for you.
Can local governments ban hitchhiking in Florida?
Knight’s letter notwithstanding, Florida statutes do specifically permit local authorities to enact ordinances to “control, regulate, or prohibit hitchhiking on streets or highways, including all state or federal highways lying within their boundaries.” And some do.
For example, Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys and part of the Everglades National Park, expressly bans hitchhiking unless you’re standing within 20 feet of your disabled vehicle or you are in immediate need of medical attention, police or fire protection.
You can check local ordinances by city and county here. Search for “hitchhiking” or “solicit a ride,” or look in pedestrian and traffic control sections.
Can you hitchhike in national parks in Florida?
Hitchhiking is prohibited on all land owned by the National Park Service, per federal law, unless exceptions have been made for designated areas. That includes Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park and Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Do Florida police or deputies stop hitchhikers?
Even if you’re hitching a ride where it’s completely legal, that doesn’t mean that law enforcement might not take an interest in what you’re doing. Anyone harassing motorists or interfering with traffic could face public nuisance charges or noncriminal violation citations.
It also may depend on the area and how local law enforcement feels about the practice. Many hitchhikers have reported crossing Florida with no problem or even getting rides across counties from sheriff’s deputies.
“If an officer tells you not to hitchhike where you are hitchhiking it is probably best to move on,” HitchWiki.org advises.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Is it legal to hitchhike in Florida?
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
