Now
90°
Tue
98°
Wed
95°
by Eric Weiss
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday highlighted Florida’s expanding investment in advanced air mobility, saying electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft could soon provide a new way to move passengers around the state.
Speaking at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, DeSantis focused on eVTOL aircraft — vehicles that can take off and land vertically like helicopters but transition into forward flight more like fixed-wing airplanes.
DeSantis said the battery-powered models now approaching the market are relatively quiet and have a range of about 100 miles. He suggested the aircraft could eventually serve as air taxis connecting airports, tourist destinations and congested metropolitan areas.
One example, he said, would be flying passengers from Tampa International Airport toward Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando rather than having them drive along Interstate 4.
“You could potentially just leapfrog I-4 entirely,” DeSantis said.
Florida is preparing to test the emerging technology at SunTrax, the state transportation research facility in Polk County. DeSantis said eVTOL test flights are expected to begin there by the end of the year.
The governor said the technology has advanced rapidly and could move beyond testing into commercial service relatively soon.
“You could start to see taxi service with these vertical lift platforms probably within the next year,” DeSantis said, while acknowledging that questions about safety, cost and commercial viability remain.
DeSantis also said the aircraft could eventually have uses beyond passenger transportation, including medical transport, disaster response, emergency operations and law enforcement. He said the military has shown interest in hybrid versions that could use conventional fuel to extend their range.
The state’s push into advanced air mobility is also becoming a workforce and research initiative.
Related: DeSantis says Florida will begin testing air taxis in Central Florida by year's end
DeSantis said the Florida Department of Transportation is partnering with Embry-Riddle to help train workers for what he described as the next generation of transportation. He said the partnership, along with activity at nearby Polk State College and SunTrax, could help create an advanced air mobility industry centered in Central Florida.
FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said Florida wants to use public infrastructure to support the emerging mode of transportation and reduce congestion.
“We truly are in the age of flying cars,” Perdue said during the event. He described a future in which hundreds of aircraft could move passengers between Tampa and Orlando, calling the concept “highways to the sky.”
Embry-Riddle is already conducting eight research projects related to advanced air mobility, according to Perdue. Those projects are examining issues including passenger security screening, terminal design, air traffic management and the technology needed to operate the aircraft.
DeSantis said the technology could eventually become simple enough for widespread personal use, though he cautioned that significant safety testing and other hurdles remain before that vision becomes reality.
He described advanced air mobility as a rapidly developing industry that Florida wants to help shape rather than watch from the sidelines.
“This is something that’s gotten a lot of steam,” DeSantis said. “So we just wanted to be a part of that.”
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
