PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The wheels of government turn slowly, especially in bringing the local car-for-hire industry into the 21st Century.
County leaders' refusal to pave the way for Uber, Lyft and any other app-based ride services simply defies logic.
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The route to success at County Hall involves lobbyists and campaign contributions. The new ride companies also decided to use a detour by going rogue, flouting the rules and regulations and operating anyway.
Breaking the law is not exactly taking the high road. And with a crackdown this week, they may be setting up more road blocks than progress.
Local leaders say the issue is safety. But the new companies do have regulations in place and may be open to other layers that make sense.
The real issue is the competitive threat to the hyper-regulated and politically protected taxi industry. That's where the fix should be focused, even more of a fix than the recent mandate to install credit card capability and SunPass devices sometime in the next two years.
This is a tourist town and growing urban region, one without the kind of mass transit system that takes anyone end-to-end in any reasonable amount of time and conveniently.
Options make sense. So does a free market.
And a sea of good competition can raise all boats. And taxicabs.