Florida DOT pitches statewide plan to make Florida a national leader in advanced air mobility

At a Transportation and Economic Development Budget Subcommittee meeting in Tallahassee, Florida Department of Transportation officials and private‑sector partners laid out the state’s plan to accelerate advanced air mobility (AAM), including corridors, a SunTrax research expansion and an expected timetable for demonstration flights and early commercial service.

Will Watts, FDOT’s Assistant Secretary and chief operating officer, said FDOT has issued a series of planning documents — a 2025 action plan, a November business plan and an operational plan due in February — that together define an “aerial highway” network and priority market entry points, notably the I‑4 corridor and a southeastern corridor. Watts said the Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 1662 provided a foundational policy framework and that the state’s role is to prepare public infrastructure and coordination to help private operators reach markets more quickly.

Watts presented FDOT’s opening‑year ridership forecast for inner‑city trips, saying estimates range from about 220,000 to 1.4 million trips in the first year of service and that longer‑term annual trips could scale into the millions. He described three primary mission areas — passengers, freight and emergency management — and said FDOT is expanding the SunTrax testing facility to host combined surface and air R&D, including two at‑grade vertiports and on‑site classrooms and chargers to support vehicle testing and workforce training.

Charlie Hillis, vice president for corporate programs at Republic Airways, described private‑sector operational plans and route prospects, saying AAM aircraft initially will be small (4–9 seats) and offering an example that a Tampa–Tallahassee trip that can take more than four hours by car might be flown in roughly 41 minutes. Hillis said operators will still need viable business cases and urged stronger incentives to attract full operations to Florida, noting the significant upfront capital for aircraft, facilities and maintenance.

Kevin Thompson, assistant vice president at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said siting vertiports requires attention to airport type, existing traffic patterns and FAA guidance (including lateral separation from runway centerlines to manage wake turbulence). He said airports will need utility upgrades — particularly higher‑capacity, rapid‑charging electrical systems — and that those energy projects can be long lead items (potentially two to three years for equipment and build‑out).

Rodney Crews, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, said the university has stood up a center for advanced air mobility and is partnering with other Florida institutions (including Daytona State) to expand A&P and other workforce pipelines to meet anticipated demand for engineers, maintainers and operators.

Committee members asked about airspace integration, wildlife and bird‑strike mitigation, inner‑city vertiport siting (including rooftop parking garage proposals), and how costs would be phased into multi‑year plans. Watts said Florida is seeking a role in the USDOT/FAA Electric VTOL Integration Pilot Program (EIPP) to gain regulatory coordination and demonstration opportunities; he told members that the IPP award process could lead to demonstration flights in the near term and that FDOT expects commercial service in the 2027–2028 window if certification and integration proceed as anticipated.

The department did not ask the committee for major appropriations this session; Watts said FDOT would present a complete plan to the committee once negotiations and the operational‑plan release are further along. The committee did not take legislative action on the topic; the meeting concluded with a procedural motion to adjourn.