Andrew Gregory Smith, 35

When Andrew Gregory Smith moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2023 from Chicago, “everybody in the neighborhood had a golf cart,” he says. 

But, he adds, they were “slow and not cool.” Without lights and sound systems, they were “nothing I would want to drive."

Photo by Mark Wemple

An electronic musician who DJed under the name Bottle Rokitz in Chicago, Smith says he has “always been into audio and lights.” At one point as a music industry events organizer, he oversaw a 3,600-square-foot loft sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon and Jameson called the Wobble Room. Before leaving the Midwest, Smith also found success in the solar industry. Using savings from that, he launched his business, Rokit Carts, at the end of 2023, building electric golf carts in his Lakewood Ranch garage and a nearby boatyard with the goal of creating “the coolest, the fastest, the brightest golf cart we could.”

While he declines to disclose the speed the carts go other than “very fast,” Smith says Rokit Carts feature the largest battery on the market, which double as charging stations and travel 80 miles per charge. To date, he has sold about 50 Rokit Carts, which cost up to $18,000 and feature Apple Play, soundbars, subwoofers and “party mode,” which lights up the vehicle. Brightness is for the “cool factor” and safety, he says, since many golf carts are near-invisible at night. The wheels illuminate yellow when turning, white when reversing and red when braking.

In January, Rokit Carts opened an 1,800-square-foot University Parkway showroom and warehouse with help from a customer-turned-investor.

“My showroom looks like a nightclub,” says Smith, who markets mostly through events. “My golf carts are so unique that you have to really see it in person. They don't sell a lot on the internet — it's after someone sees it, gets their eyes on it, gets to sit in it, [that] they're like, this is unlike anything I've ever seen before.”

Over a dozen dealers want to carry Rokit Carts, says Smith, who plans to begin franchising in 2026, expand into a larger warehouse and open a second Gulf Coast store.

Smith credits his success to his wife and mentor, Rachel, who works as a wholesale apparel representative. “She’s such a positive individual,” says Smith. “Every time I find myself in a challenging scenario or want to run [through] ideas…she's my person.”