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St. Pete to launch advanced air mobility task force
St. Petersburg officials have established an advanced air mobility task force’s framework, less than a month after stressing the need to “catch up” with the rapidly progressing industry.
Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a nascent aerospace sector that utilizes electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) to move people and cargo. While often referred to as air taxis, eVTOLs can perform disaster relief, search and rescue, surveillance and private aviation functions in places unreachable by traditional aircraft.
The city’s Economic and Development Committee agreed Thursday to create a temporary task force to study the industry and provide recommendations for incorporating AAM in St. Petersburg. Councilmember Gina Driscoll has led those efforts as the city is “behind, already.”
“We’ve got to zero in on exactly what we need to do, who we need to talk to and who we need to have in this space – as soon as possible,” Driscoll said. “I want to make sure that this is a committee named and focused on getting us caught up.”
Local business, tech, development and aerospace leaders should update their resumes. While city officials are still finalizing plans, representatives from those industries will play an integral role.
After consulting with city administrators and attorneys, the committee decided to create a task force with an established term limit, potentially two years. Council Chair Deborah Figgs-Sanders said advisory committees, which often operate indefinitely, “don’t seem to carry a lot of weight.”
She and others said an Albert Whitted Airport tenant should participate. The city-owned facility will likely host St. Petersburg’s first vertiport with associated infrastructure. However, eVTOLs can land on a traditional helipad – like the one atop Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – or nearly any open space.
Councilmember John Muhammed noted that St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport could also play a role. Rich Lesniak, airport manager, mentioned including a representative from Hines, the global development firm overseeing the Historic Gas Plant District’s transformation with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Lesniak said the long-term vision for vertiports is to include the facilities in new developments within business districts. “So, it would make sense to have somebody like that to give that perspective,” he added.
The ideal number of task force members was a focal point. Councilmember Ed Montanari, who requested the discussions, suggested appointing 10 people.
Stakeholders agreed that industry experts, like eVTOL operators, could serve as task force meeting guest speakers. Administrator Rob Gerdes said each council member could nominate one person, and the mayor could name two to form a 10-person board.
Driscoll was adamant that Alison Barlow, executive director of the Innovation District, should have a seat. “Tell me who’s done more than Alison Barlow,” Driscoll said. “She’s like the most successful geek in the City of St. Petersburg when it comes to this tech stuff and innovation.”
Muhammad stressed the importance of ensuring equitable economic impacts and said the task force’s mission should include those aspects. Administrator Rob Gerdes said that aligns with the mayor’s focus on ensuring operations at Albert Whitted benefit the entire community.
Gerdes also noted that the committee’s plans have the mayor’s blessing. “The administration is fully on board and willing to participate in this,” he said.
“I just wanted to let committee members know we are supportive and absolutely willing to engage on this with the city council.”
Volocopter conducted Florida’s first eVTOL test flight from Tampa in November 2023. Photo by Veronica Brezina.
Economic development is an integral aspect of those plans. Morgan Stanley expects accelerating technological advancements and investments to create a $1.5 trillion AAM market by 2040.
However, the future is now, as highlighted by eVTOL manufacturer Volocopter offering round-trip flights and three connection routes at the Olympic Games in July. Southwest Airlines tasked Archer Aviation, a prominent AAM company, with creating an air taxi network between 14 California airports earlier that month.
While rapidly evolving, the technology is not new. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) coined the AAM term in 2020.
Later that year, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority began studying ideal locations for vertiports – launch and landing pads or facilities – with NASA. Archer received FAA certification to operate a commercial eVTOL airline in June.
Driscoll wants a “laser-focused” task force to identify potential partnerships within the AAM industry. Subsequent applications will “go well beyond air taxis for rich people.”
Gerdes said administrators will draft a resolution to establish the task force and its parameters. Montanari said he could “tighten up” an initial mission statement and asked Gerdes to provide a potential member list at a Sept. 26 committee meeting.
“As Councilmember Driscoll has mentioned, we’re a little bit behind the times,” said James Corbett, city development administrator. “So, we need to be able to get up to speed and do it quickly. The reality is, we do have something to offer this industry.”
JudyToo
August 26, 2024at11:03 pm
This is ridiculous, same as everything the mayor and his puppets do.
Gues wwhat? WE put them in their positions and allow them to do these things, these stupid things.
Welch has been scheming for 20 years and now he has St. P{etersburg and getting his final revenge with the Sunrunner and the stadium fiascos. Then where will WE put him to further his agenda?
Andyz got it right except maybe they will not miss their bus, it comes very 15 minutes and is usually empty.
Terry
August 26, 2024at2:00 am
Like the other person mentioned Advanced Air Mobility sounds like spying to me of all the millions being spent in St.Petersburg and affordable housing still isn’t affordable this just city officials putting money in toys for more people of means to come and go while the cities tax dollars go up into…where or whatever when the hard working citizens of lesser means could use those hard earned tax dollars.
John Donovan
August 24, 2024at8:23 pm
You could have helicopters today. But they aren’t cool, so you aren’t interested? No name on a plaque for using helicopters. Maybe electric in the future. Electric helicopters. Todays helicopters are VTOL, now. Probably better too.
Dean
August 24, 2024at7:35 pm
Lots of high-ranking city officials mentioned in this article that get paid bonuses for negotiating controversial projects.
Just sayin’ ….
Mike Connelly
August 24, 2024at5:14 pm
shut up and walk … but watch for speeding e scooters on SIDEWALKS. City Council been sitting on their Hermqn Miller chairs so long … their brains have settled there. Gina taking over for Ed Monetary at Albert Whitless Air(fort) $$$
Tom Tito
August 24, 2024at12:52 pm
Noise pollution from new and existing uses needs to be addressed.
New advances in aircraft engines reduce noise levels.
Restrictions on late night flights would help.
Steve D
August 24, 2024at10:16 am
This is the future of transportation. It’s exciting that visionaries in St Pete realize this, just as the operators of America’s first commercial airline here, which took its first flight from St Pete to Tampa on January 1, 1914.
SB
August 23, 2024at3:36 pm
Out of all the possible priorities that a city government could have, Ms. Driscoll thinks electric air taxis should be a high priority one.
Even though the first flight of such a vehicle in Florida was only recently, she claims we are behind…
I’d love to know who’s donating to her campaigns…
I can think of hundreds of things more important than this. And it would seem that other government entities are far more appropriate than the city of Saint Petersburg to be involved in this. Like… The county. The FAA. The state of Florida. The federal government. NASA.
I’m all for planning ahead. But the city getting involved in this? At what cost?
And the naming… Advanced air mobility? Who thought of that one? That could mean anything.
What’s wrong with Electric Air Taxis? Or electric vertical aircraft? Is the problem that taxpayers might understand exactly what this involves? Better to be completely ambiguous and confusing?
Lots of head scratchers here.
Andyz
August 23, 2024at3:16 pm
If the City is involved it will either
a) come to nothing
b) take forever to decide who makes coffee
c) cost a fortune
d) miss the bus as the committee takes years to understand how this can include low income and the homeless