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Is there still hope for air taxis here after this bill’s death?

Florida House Members of the Florida House of Representatives in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

The death of a bill in the Florida Legislature that would have made the Orlando region a hub for air taxis has not compromised the technology’s future in the region.

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House Bill 981 would have designated the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority as the state’s testing hub for advanced air mobility, and would have set out initial regulations tied to establishing vertiports in Florida. The bill passed in the House, but did not pass in the Senate, as the two chambers could not agree on its final language before the end of the 2024 session.

Despite this, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority — whose conceptual plans include a vertiport and a research and development center on Orlando International Airport property — still will take steps toward having the technology on its property even though the bill did not pass this time.

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Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

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