TAMPA, FL, Oct. 30, 2026 —
Two electric "flying cars" took off from Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg on Friday morning, flew in formation over Tampa Bay and landed at Signature Aviation at Tampa International Airport, according to the governor's news release.
The governor's office called it Florida's first Advanced Air Mobility flight demonstration. The flights are the first in a series led by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as part of the FAA's Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) and Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program, the release says.
The route retraced Tony Jannus' 1914 flight between St. Petersburg and Tampa, which the release describes as the world's first commercial airline flight. Gov. Ron DeSantis said on his official X account that the event "featured three types of eVTOL aircraft."
"Florida has long been a staging ground for the future," DeSantis wrote on X.
"This morning, history was made in Tampa Bay with Florida's first Advanced Air Mobility electric aircraft demonstration flights," DeSantis said in the release.
What the flights are for
According to the governor's office, the flights are part of a "Future of Flight Series" that serves as a fact-finding mission for the FAA as it develops the regulations, infrastructure and operating procedures needed to deploy these aircraft for commercial use. The flights will collect data on noise, airspace integration and other areas, the release says.
The demonstrations will be among the first to use what the state calls its Aerial Highway Network, dedicated air corridors connecting major hubs. The series will follow the Interstate 4 corridor, which the release calls the most heavily traveled corridor in Florida.
FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue said in the release that the flight series "will serve as an important step forward in our efforts to take highways to the sky."
The companies involved
The release names Joby Aviation and BETA Technologies among the aircraft makers taking part in Florida's program, along with universities, local governments and airports.
BETA Technologies CEO Kyle Clark said in the release that his company earlier this year flew up to nine legs a day along the I-4 corridor with Republic Airways, "with energy costs under $17 per leg."
Joby Aviation CEO JoeBen Bevirt said in the release that the company plans to fly its aircraft across the state, "from Tampa Bay and Orlando to the Space Coast."
What Floridians should know
The release does not say when passenger service could begin. The governor's office says the flights are meant to help the FAA decide how to safely allow these aircraft for commercial use. More information on FDOT's program is at suntraxfl.com, according to the release.
Launchpad Digital has asked the Executive Office of the Governor and the Florida Department of Transportation for comment and will update this story when they respond.
Those are the facts, directly from the source.
Sources: Executive Office of the Governor news release (Oct. 30, 2026); Gov. Ron DeSantis's official X account (Oct. 30, 2026).
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