The avalanche of scooters and mopeds that flooded Miami was as fleeting as Joe Biden’s temporary protective immigration programs.
The small vehicles were trending after the arrival of hundreds of thousands of foreigners from Latin American countries, where in large metropolitan areas like Caracas, Bogotá and Mexico City, mopeds are a popular form of transportation. Many of those individuals settled in southern Florida.
In Miami, where public transportation is not up to the task of transporting all residents, these new arrivals saw in the scooters an economic and familiar option.
The moped boom of 2022 and 2023 changed the face of the city. Mopeds are able to dodge between cars, making it easier to navigate the streets and main thoroughfares.
Driving a moped in Miami “is like having a tattoo on your face. Authorities say, ‘Hey stop, if you’re driving a moped, you probably don’t have papers,’” says Yonathan Rodríguez, a 40-year-old Venezuelan who has sold parts for the vehicles to local shops for 20 years. “You can see the fear of deportation in the street. You saw so many more mopeds before than you do now.”
