GOLF CART
Conch carts & Key West — driving rules nobody explains before you rent one
You can drive on Duval. You can't drive on US-1. You get pulled over if you're not buckled. Here's the actual rule sheet before you rent.
Rules I wish somebody printed on the seat of every cart on the island.
First, the thing nobody tells you: the street-legal rental "carts" in Key West are technically low-speed vehicles (LSVs), not true golf carts. That's why they have seatbelts, lights, turn signals, and a VIN — a real golf cart doesn't. It matters because LSVs get the better rule: under Florida law an LSV can run any road posted 35 mph or under, while a plain golf cart is capped at 30. Everything below assumes the LSV you actually rented.
You can drive on any road with a speed limit of 35 mph or under. That covers basically all of Old Town Key West — Duval, Whitehead, Simonton, White Street, the Truman Waterfront area, the whole grid inside the historic district.
You cannot drive on North Roosevelt Boulevard or the section of US-1 that runs along the north side. Those roads are 45 mph and street-legal LSVs (low-speed vehicles) are prohibited on them. If you need to cross the island, you go through the middle on White Street or Flagler, not around the north edge.
You have to be buckled. Every seat. Kids in car seats if they're under the age required by Florida law (currently 5). The rental cart has to have working seatbelts, working lights, working turn signals, and a functioning horn — and if it doesn't, that's on the rental company, not you, but you'll still get stopped.
You do have to have a driver's license. You have to be 21 to rent from most companies, 18 from a few. You can't drive a rental cart if you've been drinking. Key West cops absolutely will pull you over on Duval at 11 p.m. and they absolutely will run you through a sobriety test.
The cart is street-legal but it's not a car. No highways, no US-1 down to Big Coppitt, no going to the beach at Bahia Honda in your rental. Stay on the island.
Where you can park: anywhere a car can park, including metered spots (yes, you pay the meter). You cannot park on the sidewalk, cannot park in loading zones, cannot park in residential permit zones without a resident's permit.
The rental costs 4 hours: about $130-$180. 8 hours: about $220-$280. 24 hours: about $260-$340. If someone's quoting you less, check the insurance rider — some companies bury a $30/day "damage waiver" that's technically optional but functionally required.
