It’s not TV’s “The Jetsons” but flying vehicles may be zipping around Florida skies in the near future.
By the end of this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis said full testing of flying electric vehicles will lift off at a Polk County facility under a program expected to be financed with almost $200 million originally intended to expand for electric vehicle charging stations.
The U.S. Department of Transportation certified in a Jan. 30 letter to the Florida Department of Transportation that the state’s electric vehicle charger system is fully built out using private financing, especially by Tesla. That means the federal money for chargers can be used for another transportation purpose, like flying vehicles.
“Because of this and to ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars, FDOT pulled the (charger) proposal submitted last fall to seek out additional innovations and is currently in the process of revising it,” said Hannah Shellabarger, FDOT’s deputy communications director.
A news conference Aug. 10 by DeSantis, a Republican, came after several recent news stories cast doubt on using the charger money for vehicles that are still evolving.
DeSantis outlined the next steps for a program called the Advanced Aerial Mobility that aims to carry passengers and some cargo on battery powered, drone-like vehicles that can take off and land vertically. They’re known as eVTOLs.
“You just need a vertiport. You don’t need a runway. You can take these and drop them into a major city and not have disruption,” the governor said at the Transportation Department’s 475-acre SunTrax facility in Auburndale, Florida, that also tests self-driving cars.
“We really truly are in the age of flying cars,” state Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said. “By the end of this year, they will be flying and testing these vehicles in Florida.”
To turn this into reality, the state plans to build 32 vertical landing and takeoff pads for the flying vehicles at a cost of about $5.6 million each. In March, eight flying vehicle pilot programs spanning 26 states including Florida chosen chosen under an executive order from President Donald Trump, according to a news release from the federal DOT.
The federal dollars initially intended to expand electric vehicle charging around the state would help fund the flying vehicle plan. As of early August, there were just under 15,200 EV charging ports across the state, according to the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. Only about 35 more are in the planning stages.
DeSantis said road construction projects and EV chargers are important but technology could provide key improvements. Florida had more than 18 million licensed drivers in 2025, state records show, and more than 287,000 registered EVs.
“We want to think creatively. We want to know where the future is going,” the governor said.
The first phase of what’s called the state’s Aerial Highway Network will focus on the chronically congested Interstate 4 corridor that links Tampa, Orlando and Daytona Beach.
The program will focus on existing airports at first, according to the Transportation Department. Those under consideration include airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, West Palm Beach, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, Sebring and Vero Beach.
“This intercity travel along the I-4 corridor will serve as a catalyst for the emerging AAM market,” the Transportation Department says in its program documents. “As the market matures and attracts increased public and private investments, additional corridors along the east and west coasts are expected to follow.”
In April, DeSantis signed into law a bill that allows the state to cover up to 100% of a public or private vertiport’s costs unless there is federal money available, in which case the state can fund up to 80% of any cost not covered by federal dollars.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY athttps://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
The flying car era in Florida is closer than you think, governor says – Tallahassee Democrat
