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Isles of Capri residents are out of gas — legally anyway.

The Collier County Commission voted down a proposed amendment to the county’s golf cart ordinance that would have made the island community one of two places in the county where the electric carts could be street legal.

Tuesday’s 2-3 vote against the change came after county staff members recommended against allowing golf carts to be allowed on Capri roads. Commissioners Jim Coletta, Fred Coyle and Frank Halas voted against the amendment.

"We were hoping there would be a legalization of golf carts," said Capri resident Ann B. Hall on Thursday. "I haven’t heard of any major repercussions, but I’m sure that there are a couple of people that aren’t happy about it."

At the May 8 commission meeting residents asked commissioners to amend Goodland’s golf cart ordinance to include Isles of Capri.

Hall, who represented the Isles of Capri Civic Association at that meeting, said that there are about 10 golf carts in use throughout the four interconnecting islands that make up the small community.

Commissioners agreed to look into the matter, but held off making a final decision until Tuesday.

Last year county commissioners reviewed the golf cart issue after Goodland residents started getting ticketed for driving around in their electric carts, which residents said they’d been doing for years without penalty.

In December, commissioners agreed to let Goodlanders legally ride their golf carts around the small island community with strings attached.

Restrictions include allowing golf carts only in designated areas of Goodland during daylight, and requiring that residents who want to take their carts out for a spin must be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver’s license.

Cart owners also had to get liability insurance and properly register their vehicle with the county.

Documents show that after two field reviews and two traffic counts of Isles of Capri in May, county staff concluded that the islands narrow lanes, the speed of traffic on the roadways and the limited sight distance around numerous curves made it unsafe for golf cart use.

"Staff cannot recommend allowing the use of golf carts on the roadways of the community," said Traffic Operations Director Robert W. Tipton in the report.

The May 22 report also ruled out the use of Capri’s shared-use pathway as a golf cart zone because it would be a risk for pedestrians and cyclists.

"There’s a state law that does not allow golf-carts on sidewalk or pathways," said Connie Deane, a spokeswoman for the county’s transportation division.

Commissioner Donna Fiala, who supported amending the ordinance, said that she understood the staff concerns.

Hall partly agreed.

"You can’t legalize what you can’t control," said Hall, of the staff findings. "But we’ve been riding golf carts since 1958. I think it would have been nice to have had a list of regulations."