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Florida to begin eVTOL testing at SunTrax, governor says
Summary
At a SunTrax press event in Polk County, the governor announced that Florida will begin testing eVTOL (advanced air mobility) aircraft by the end of the year, citing new vertiports, an FAA pilot program designation and workforce partnerships to support deployment.
The governor announced that "by the end of the year, Florida will be actively testing Evatal aircraft throughout Central Florida aerospace region," saying the state's SunTrax facility now includes vertiports designed for aircraft that do not need runways.
The remarks positioned SunTrax as a testing site for advanced air mobility and said the Federal Aviation Administration has designated Florida to participate in a vertical‑launch and AAM integration pilot program. "We have moved from establishing that framework to actually building the infrastructure right here at SunTrax to be able to test this technology," the governor said. He added that the vertiports let aircraft "lift straight up" and land with lower acoustic impact than helicopters, and that testing will include passenger, cargo and emergency‑response uses.
Officials also tied the testing timeline to workforce development and infrastructure investments. FDOT will invest in public vertiport infrastructure to facilitate deployment, the governor said, and colleges will partner to train operators and maintainers. The announcement did not include a specific manufacturer test schedule or FAA clearance dates beyond the end‑of‑year goal.
