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Pull in for checkup

Although it's not a community requirement, the neighbors get in line to have their golf carts inspected and registered for safety and security reasons.

By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
Published March 31, 2006

Richard Gingrich pulled to a stop in his souped-up red golf cart with the silver spinner rims.

Adding to the decor, two pots of pink silk flowers hung off the back. A radio dangled on a cord, chirping classical music.

"As you could tell, my wife rides it more than I do,'' said Gingrich, 68.

He rides it plenty, too, to the grocery store, to the swimming pool, to his part-time job. That's why Gingrich joined hundreds of others in Sun City Center this week to get it a checkup.

At the annual free golf cart inspection behind Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies called out instructions to punch the brake, honk the horn, flip the turn signals, shine the headlights. They quizzed riders on hand signals and checked the air in their tires.

Residents showed up voluntarily to get their golf carts looked over and register them with the community's security patrol. Deputies don't hand out citations at the inspections. Riders who don't pass are advised what they need to get fixed.

"It's nice to have this kind of transportation for the community we have,'' said Gingrich, who outfitted his golf cart with a tiger-print steering wheel cover.

On days like Monday, he enjoyed a crisp spring breeze blowing through the cart. Others zipped up plastic covers to block out the wind until the sun climbed higher in a cloudless blue sky.

The inspections, Gingrich said, serve to keep the riders on their toes.

"When you tangle with the car with one of these things, the car wins,'' he said.

An important part of the event is the community's registration process, said Robert Thornton, the sheriff's community resource deputy for Sun City Center.

The Sun City Center Security Patrol, which organized the event, estimates there are 4,000 to 5,000 carts in the community. But no one really knows. Last year's inspection brought out 2,234 carts.

Registration - which matches up the serial number with the owner's name, address and phone number - helps owners reunite with their carts when the carts get misplaced, Thornton said.

How does that happen? There's the occasional theft by young punks who steal the carts and crash them into ditches on purpose, he said.

But more often, riders walk into a vast parking lot after leaving the grocery store, jump into the wrong golf cart and zip home, he said.

Residents sometimes don't realize their key worked in the wrong cart until they pull into their driveway and see a pair of fuzzy dice in the cart that wasn't there before, Thornton said.

Volunteers from the community's Lions Club and the Men's Club gave riders pamphlets with safety tips, including the designated legal crossings for State Road 674, plus a reminder of the speed limit for golf carts, 20 mph.

Anything faster without being registered with the state could result in a criminal citation, not just a speeding ticket, Thornton said. Any cart outfitted to go faster must have state registration, a license tag and insurance, he said.

One woman found that out when she pulled in with a cart bearing a full windshield, sturdier tires a seat belt and windshield wipers.

The event also gave deputies a chance to catch up on the latest golf cart styles - some with gold grills and Rolls-Royce exteriors - and old friends.

Jerry Mahoney jerked his cart to a stop for an inspection before getting out to volunteer.

"I haven't written you a ticket in a year and a half,'' Thornton joked with him.

Saundra Amrhein can be reached at 813 661-2441 or amrhein@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 30, 2006, 14:16:54]