Okaloosa County BOCC — September 6, 2016 — Ground Transportation Meeting Minutes

GROUND TRANSPORTATION MEETING DESTIN – FORT WALTON BEACH AIRPORT November 10, 2015 Please see attached list for attendees. Mr. Stage convened meeting at 2:02 PM. Mr. Stage welcomed everyone and introduced himself and everyone in the room introduced themselves. Mr. Stage briefed everyone on status of the taxi building project. The funding was pulled and the project has been cancelled. Mr. Stage and Mr. Kennedy also briefed everyone on the baggage system. Mr. Stage briefed everyone that personal property (lawn chairs, fans, etc.) are being left in the queue area. In order to alleviate conflicts no one should leave personal property at the Airport. Mr. Stage briefed everyone on Transportation Network Companies, UBER. Mr. Stage briefed that the Airport has been working on a contract for several months and after several conference calls UBER sent a contract and the County Attorneys reviewed the contract and made changes and now the contract is back to UBER for review. UBER will have one slot in the pre-arranged parking area and two slots in the cell phone lot for their queue. UBER will not be allowed to pick up anywhere on the Airport except in the pre-arranged area. They will not be allowed on the front curb or in the taxi queue area. UBER will pay $2.50 per pick up and this will be monitored by a geo fence that UBER will install at the Airport. Mr. Stage introduced Mr. Jon Morris to brief on taxing the permit fees. Mr. Morris briefed everyone on the Department of Revenue requirements for taxing the permits which is a State Law. Mr. Stage opened the floor for questions/comments/suggestions. Christopher Scott, Carters Carriage, asked if the taxi drivers could be dual permitted meaning work for UBER. Mr. Miner stated no. Through the conference call with UBER they stated no. Passengers could not be picked up in a marked vehicle. Several individuals stated we already have several individuals who are UBER drivers. Chris Ferry, Destin Airport Shuttle, stated UBER has a commercial vehicle exception and asked if taxis can be UBER in the queue area. Chief Johnson stated that we do not have any information on that but UBER stated no to commercial vehicle pickups and no to UBER vehicles in the queue line. Don Fischer, Fischer’s Shuttle Service, asked if the Police can see the UBER vehicles. Chief Johnson stated yes. The Police have the UBER app on their phones. Miguel Rosario, M & R Shuttle, stated they are having a problem contacting the Police about UBER and some Police says they cannot do anything about UBER that Admin said they cannot do anything to UBER. Chief Johnson stated to contact the Airport Police and they will handle the situation. Chief Johnson said do not come into the Airport or to their office looking for Police just call the AOC at 651-7166 and they will dispatch an officer. Don Fischer, Fischer’s Shuttle Service, asked if UBER can turn their phones off. Chief Johnson stated yes they do and it is hard to locate them on the property. With the agreement they will not be allowed to turn their phones off because UBER will know and that is not allowed. Justin Jackson, Jay’s Checker Cab, stated that UBER drivers do not carry the correct insurance. Their insurance is for a private vehicle and not a commercial vehicle. Mr. Stage stated that UBER has a One Million Dollar policy that covers their drivers. Jerry White, A AAA All FL Airport Shuttle, stated an umbrella policy does not cover the UBER drivers in the State of Florida. According to Florida Statutes the owner of a commercial vehicle has to have a $300,000 commercial policy. Mr. Stage stated we will check into this. Melonie Holbrook, A Catch Cab, stated she can see customers on their phones calling UBER. She asked if we could post signs in the baggage claim area stating that UBER is not allowed to pick up at the Airport. Mr. Stage stated no all you have to do is contact the Airport