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by Fox 49 Staff
Governor highlights new air taxi test track, autonomous vehicles and partnerships with Florida colleges during event at SunTrax in Polk County.
AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida is preparing for a future where air taxis could carry passengers between Tampa and Orlando while autonomous vehicles transport people on the ground without a driver behind the wheel.
Speaking Monday at SunTrax in Polk County, DeSantis highlighted Florida's expansion into advanced air mobility and autonomous vehicle testing, arguing emerging transportation technology could eventually reduce traffic congestion, move cargo and provide new options for emergency responders.
The governor said Florida has moved beyond simply creating a regulatory framework for advanced air mobility and is now building infrastructure where the technology can be tested.
"We are turning this somewhat dream into a reality," DeSantis said.
Florida opens aerial test track for 'flying cars'
SunTrax is a 775-acre research and testing facility originally developed to test transportation and traffic technology. It has now expanded into advanced air mobility.
DeSantis said the facility now has two vertiports that make up what he described as the nation's first dedicated advanced air mobility aerial test track.
Unlike conventional airplanes, the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft—often called eVTOLs—can take off and land vertically without a traditional runway.
DeSantis said companies will be able to test aircraft and communications technology under real-world conditions at the facility.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said testing of the aircraft in Florida airspace is expected by the end of 2026.
"We really truly are in the age of flying cars," Perdue said, adding that aircraft displayed at the event are undergoing the Federal Aviation Administration certification process.
Air taxis between Tampa and Orlando?
DeSantis pointed to the heavily traveled Tampa-to-Orlando corridor as an example of where the technology could eventually have an impact.
He envisioned passengers using air taxis to avoid Interstate 4 entirely.
"It could be like an Uber taxi in the air," DeSantis said.
The aircraft could also eventually be used to move cargo or assist with medical and emergency response missions, according to the governor.
Perdue said advanced air mobility could have broader implications for passenger transportation, supply chains, law enforcement and first responders.
Autonomous vehicles also being tested
Florida's transportation push isn't limited to the skies.
DeSantis said SunTrax is also being used to test autonomous and connected vehicles, including technology developed by companies such as Waymo and Tesla.
The facility can simulate conditions including rain, crowded urban environments, pedestrian crossings, hills and dips to determine how autonomous systems respond before being deployed more widely.
DeSantis described SunTrax as the country's only high-speed autonomous vehicle test track and said vehicles can be tested at interstate speeds.
Safety, he stressed, remains critical.
"They've got to pass the safety test," DeSantis said.
DeSantis points to potential for families
The governor also raised the possibility that autonomous vehicles could eventually change how families think about teenage drivers.
DeSantis said that if autonomous vehicles can conclusively demonstrate they are safer than human drivers, parents could potentially use the technology to transport children instead of buying them a vehicle when they turn 16.
"If we're at the point where this is clearly better, clearly safer, you know, that's going to be very good for parents," DeSantis said.
Florida colleges to train next-generation workforce
The state is also looking at who will operate, maintain and support the new transportation systems.
DeSantis announced that FDOT is partnering with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Polk State College to develop a workforce capable of operating, maintaining, testing and safely deploying the technology.
Polk State College President Stasi Kamoutsis said the partnership could position Polk County as a hub for transportation, aerospace and advanced manufacturing while creating new educational and career opportunities for students.
Road projects remain part of transportation push
DeSantis stressed that Florida's investment in futuristic transportation is happening alongside more traditional highway construction.
He pointed to the state's Moving Florida Forward initiative, which he said front-loaded billions of dollars to accelerate road projects that otherwise might not have begun until the 2030s. Some projects are now expected to be delivered 10 to 15 years earlier than originally planned, he said.
Projects highlighted by the governor included improvements along I-275 in Pinellas County, the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami-Dade County, I-75 in Sarasota and Central Florida, U.S. 98 in the Panhandle and U.S. 301 in Sumter County.
For DeSantis, however, Monday's event was as much about preparing for what could come next as improving the roads Floridians already use.
"I think we're going to be able to get you up in the air at some point in the not too distant future," he said.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
DeSantis says ‘age of flying cars’ is coming to Florida as state expands testing – wtwcfox
