As congestion increases on Florida highways, state Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue wants lawmakers to envision a world getting closer to the promise of decades-old sci-fi shows.
Perdue expressed support Wednesday for advanced air mobility, which would involve establishing vertiports in urban areas that could serve as hubs for short aerial commutes by battery-powered aircraft that have characteristics of airplanes and helicopters.
“What if there was an opportunity to have what we call vertiports in Orlando and Tampa, and there could be thousands of these vehicles flying back and forth on the I-4 corridor?” Perdue said to members of the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee. “So, you can think about movies that you’ve seen that are science fiction. The Jetsons, yeah, is one of those … that’s a classic. This is actually becoming a reality.”
Perdue anticipates technology will advance in the next few years to expand the limited range now available to “eVTOL” — electric vertical take-off and landing — aircraft that can move cargo and people.
“I think you’re going to see rapid, rapid development over just a few-year time span, and it will be an efficient and affordable mode,” Perdue said.
Facing industry pressure, the Federal Aviation Administration in January updated guidelines for the design of vertiport facilities, in part putting them in the existing category of heliports. In October, the FAA issued a final rule for qualifications and training of advanced air mobility instructors and pilots.
Attempts to establish regulations and oversight of the industry have struggled in the state Legislature the past couple of years. But lawmakers last year allowed the state Department of Commerce to consider applications for money under a new Supply Chain Innovation Grant Program for efforts to develop vertiports (SB 1420).
A bill (SB 266) filed this year by Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, would provide a sales-tax exemption on the sale or lease of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Nothing to See Here
Five months after declaring a mulligan about controversial plans to add golf courses, resort-style lodges and pickleball courts at state parks, Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted Monday that “there was never anything” proposed.
“Last year, you had, you had a bureaucrat wrote a memo and leaked it and tried to create a narrative,” DeSantis told reporters Monday when he was asked about $69 million in his 2025-2026 budget proposal for state park infrastructure improvements and resource management.
“There was never anything that was proposed at all and we’re not proposing anything,” DeSantis added.
The DeSantis administration faced a bipartisan uproar in August after the Department of Environmental Protection issued a news release about what was dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative” and later used social-media posts to briefly outline plans for nine parks.
Perhaps the biggest target of opponents was a proposal to add three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County.
The department’s news release was titled, “DEP Announces 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access, Recreation and Lodging at Florida State Parks.”
“Today’s announcement reinforces the DeSantis Administration’s record support for conserving our natural landscapes and commitment to ensuring every Floridian can visit and recreate at Florida’s state parks,” the Aug. 19 news release said.
Days later, the department issued a series of online posts targeting what it said was “confusion” about the plan. Meetings were scuttled as opposition rapidly grew from environmental groups, residents and Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
DeSantis also argued at the time that the plans were “leaked” to create a “narrative.”
A department employee, saying he was worried about the potential destruction of state parks, later said he lost his job after sending the plans to the news media.
In August, DeSantis said the department would gather more public input before it could move forward with the initiative.
“Here’s the thing, I’d rather not spend any money on this, right?” DeSantis said during an Aug. 28 appearance in Polk County. “I mean, if people don’t want improvements, then don’t do it. And so, that’ll be something that citizens could be able to do.”
“They’re going to go back and basically listen to folks,” DeSantis continued. “A lot of that stuff was just half-baked, and it was not ready for prime time when it was.”
The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday will consider a bill (SB 80) that would prevent such development at state parks. An identical bill (HB 209) has been filed in the House.
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
Brian says
What could go wrong?
Pogo says
@With air traffic control by?
Jetsons? A Road Runner cartoon is more like it.
Jim says
I’d like to propose that DeSantis’ election integrity police unit (or whatever BS name is has) be put in charge of patrolling and enforcing any and all laws that our fine legislature comes up with. They have a lot in common with the Maytag repair man (for those old enough to know).
But that’s too far into the future. No electric vehicle is going to catch on in today’s environment. I’d suggest putting gas engines on the VTOL’s and then maybe we can get some interest….
Joe D says
Were they proposing exploration of MULTI PASSENGER ( 6-10 person) scheduled vehicles that could “puddle jump” between say Daytona, Orlando, Tampa station stops?
Or are they really talking about 2-4 passenger individually piloted “flying cars?”
Until there is more public distribution of those passengers BEFORE /AFTER they are using VERTIPORTS…it would make no sense. The I 4 corridor is a nightmare of congested driving.
I would use a multi passenger “light” rail” from Daytona to Tampa with a few scheduled stops along the way, to attend WESTERN area events. They keep extending the train in bits and pieces, but nothing that would cover coast to coast. People can’t avoid accidents NOW in assigned lanes and prescribed speeds on the ground …what a disaster it would be to have indiscriminate flying over those areas!
I think we are quite a few years away from such an idea.