Our Story

The Orlando Bike Coalition was officially launched at St. Matthew’s tavern in Orlando’s Mills50 District on Thursday, April 14, 2016. We asked local businesses if they could donate raffle prizes for the event, and they gladly supported our launch party with bike related giveaways and gift cards/certificates. Launch party attendees also enjoyed live music featuring Dizzlephunk and Savi Fernandez and the event was promoted to the public with the support of Yelp and the Bungalower. The gathering brought together those committed to improving Orlando's biking culture and infrastructure. Shortly after the launch party, we were approved as a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization on May 26, 2016.

In the early days, some of our first board meetings were held at Infusion Tea in
College Park (District 3)

ORLANDO BIKE COALITION

The Orlando Bike Coalition (OBC) was started as a Facebook Page by Aaron Powell on December 17, 2014. The first post was about creating safe and comfortable bikeways to connect Orlando’s neighborhoods, which continues to be the primary goal of the organization.

Several of our board members met at the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee meetings organized by the City of Orlando.

Aaron met Peter Martinez and Sarah Elbadri, the founders of Juice Bikes, at a City of Orlando’s Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Through their encouragement and participation, OBC officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on May 26, 2016.

Public workshop regarding the Westmoreland Path in Parramore (District 5)

OBC has been active throughout the years by attending City & County Council meetings, committees, and public workshops to advocate for separated and protected bicycling infrastructure. The Orlando Bicycle Beltway is one example of an infrastructure project that has received support from OBC as it reflects the organization’s mission.

Our board members attended a public workshop on Virginia Drive in the Ivanhoe Village District (District 3)

The group has since grown to 13 Board Members with a common mission: Advocating for the development of world-class bicycling infrastructure in Orlando, Florida. With more people riding bikes in Orlando, OBC looks forward to expanding our impact in the greater Orlando community.