BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Florida is moving from vision decks to timelines on Advanced Air Mobility, the umbrella term for short-hop electric aircraft that use vertiports instead of gates. The state’s transportation plan starts in Central Florida and extends down the east coast, adding stops at major airports including Palm Beach International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, and Miami International. Boca Raton Airport is listed among early sites of interest for future infrastructure.
“Governor DeSantis’ leadership and continued support allows FDOT to focus on delivering a world-class transportation network and, by signing this bill today, the Governor is enabling the Department to implement innovative ideas to enhance safety, increase efficiency and better serve our communities,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “FDOT is especially proud of this legislation as it sets Florida up to create the path forward and conquer the complex concepts to finally bring highways in the sky with Advanced Air Mobility. With the Governor’s support and industry collaboration, we are turning bold ideas into action and positioning Florida as the go-to state.”
In practical terms, these aircraft are mostly electric vertical takeoff and landing models (eVTOL). They’re quieter than helicopters, built for four to six passengers, and designed for hops measured in dozens to a couple hundred miles—airport shuttles, business trips, and time-sensitive cargo. The sell is time: skipping I-95 and turnpike congestion for a quick jump to a trunk corridor or hub.
Florida’s plan frames the system as an “aerial highway,” with low-altitude corridors acting like lanes and vertiports as on-ramps and off-ramps. Early buildout focuses on a Tampa–Orlando–Space Coast triangle tied to the SunTrax testing campus near I-4. A follow-on push labeled for the east coast runs Port St. Lucie to Miami, which covers the Palm Beach–Boca–Fort Lauderdale corridor.
For Boca, the near-term activity centers on existing airport property. Airport-based vertiports are expected to come first while cities sort out zoning, fire code, and building standards for any future rooftop or garage pads. A basic ground vertiport footprint is several acres with a touchdown area, a few parking stands, passenger space, and high-capacity electrical service. Power is a gating item: sites will need megawatt-class feeds to handle fast charging and support systems, likely paired with on-site battery storage and conventional utility upgrades.
Airspace integration will track existing helicopter practices at the start, then evolve with the FAA’s AAM rules. Corridors in South Florida would be designed to sit around controlled airspace shelves for PBI, FLL, and MIA, with defined procedures to keep small electric craft deconflicted from airline operations. Night operations and instrument procedures are contemplated but would phase in with training and certification.
The state has been coordinating with airports, utilities, emergency services, and universities since 2021. That work includes zoning toolkits for local governments, tabletop exercises, and early site planning so communities can move quickly once standards firm up. As that process continues through 2026, watch for formal project briefs at Boca Raton Airport and Palm Beach International, filings tied to high-capacity charging, and public workshops on corridor routing and station placement.
Timelines remain staged. Central Florida is first for commercial service; the east-coast corridor follows as pads, power, and procedures lock in. For local travelers, early use cases look like short hops between airport nodes—Boca to PBI, or into Fort Lauderdale and Miami—aimed at business travelers before broader adoption. Tourism shuttles and small high-value freight are likely secondary markets.
Bottom line: Florida wants to be a national leader in AAM, and if the schedule holds, Boca’s role starts at the airport. Rooftop pads over Mizner Park aren’t next week, but airport-anchored service is a realistic first step. Expect more specifics as the state finalizes corridors and airports begin formal design.
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