DAYTONA BEACH — His days as Florida governor are running short, but Ron DeSantis was at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aug. 14 to talk about the future − before weighing in on a present-day political question for many Volusia County voters.
DeSantis − who formerly represented Volusia and Flagler counties in the U.S. House of Representatives − ended his press conference with a short response to a question about U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican who represents the 7th District in southern Volusia and Seminole counties.
“I have not endorsed Cory Mills, and I do not support Cory Mills,” DeSantis said.
Clyde Morris Boulevard improvements announced
DeSantis also announced the acceleration of a $56 million corridor improvement project that passes Embry-Riddle. The project will resurface 3 miles of Clyde Morris Boulevard from Mason Avenue south, past Halifax Health, across International Speedway Boulevard and past Mainland High School and ERAU to Beville Road.
The project will also involve raised medians, upgraded traffic signals, lighting and drainage, construction of a pedestrian tunnel near the entrance to ERAU, and the addition of a 14-foot-wide multi-use path on the west side of Clyde Morris.
And the governor dove into a future where people can cross wide swaths of Florida by air without having to fly a plane or helicopter.
‘Flying cars’ or ‘air taxis’ could be testing in Florida within months
DeSantis said Florida will begin testing these vehicles by the end of 2026. He had also spoken about the development at the SunTrax Testing Grounds in Auburndale earlier in the week.
“By the end of this year, Florida will be actively testing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, while SunTrax Air Ground is actively testing and supporting the deployment of autonomous and connected vehicles,” DeSantis had said.
The concept is known as Advanced Air Mobility − or AAM − but is sometimes referred to as “air taxis” or flying cars. A Florida Department of Transportation report states it’s a means of “connecting communities” and shortening trips.
“By leveraging vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, electric propulsion and advanced navigation systems, AAM can bypass traditional ground constraints, helping to reduce congestion and travel times,” the report states.
Embry-Riddle has an AAM center and will also be partnering with SunTrax and Polk State College as part of the initiative.
State Sen. Tom Wright, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, said at a Volusia County School Board meeting earlier in the week lawmakers have embraced the concept of launching an air taxi industry.
“We’ve already passed legislation, and it was signed by the governor to allow vertical-lift aircraft to transport from our airports in the state of Florida, and cut down that time of trying to drive from one side of the state to the other on I-4,” Wright said.
He pointed to Embry-Riddle’s research park as one source of innovation.
“There’s a company there now in the process of building a 19-passenger all-electric aircraft that will lift up vertically, and take off horizontally,” Wright said. “Sounds like ‘The Jetsons,’ doesn’t it?”
− Mark Harper covers politics, government, and education for The News-Journal, with a focus on Florida, mostly in Volusia County. He can be reached at mark.harper@news-jrnl.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Gov. DeSantis talks ‘flying cars,’ Cory Mills, at Daytona stop
Reporting by Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
