DeSantis Vows to Make Tesla’s “Flying” Roadster Legal in Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has promised to make Tesla’s new “flying” Roadster legal in his state. Tesla showed off the futuristic sports car lifting off the ground using a special thruster system.

An X user asked whether the car would be street legal in Florida. DeSantis replied: “We will make sure that it’s legal; at a minimum could be used to leapfrog golf carts in the Villages.” The Villages is one of the largest retirement communities in the U.S. and is famous for its golf-cart culture.

Elon Musk responded to the governor’s post with a fire emoji.

The exchange followed Tesla’s October 15 unveiling of the redesigned Roadster at a SpaceX facility near McGregor, Texas. The car is fitted with cold-gas thrusters powered by compressed air, which allow it to perform hops, flips and lifts. Tesla also showed the car accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in about one second. “This will be the actual car that’s on the roads,” Musk said.

Musk was less definitive about whether the car’s flying features would be legal on public roads. “Depends on your street,” he said, adding that he was “not necessarily sure it’s legal in all jurisdictions.” Tesla itself acknowledges that the most extreme version is not approved for public roads.

DeSantis’s promise does not make the car legal. That would require regulation and approvals, including compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. His post did not lay out any proposed legislation, safety requirements or permitting process. The Federal Aviation Administration has reportedly said the Roadster does not meet its definition of an aircraft. That doesn’t authorize drivers to launch it into the air on public streets.

Despite the eye-catching demonstration, production isn’t expected to begin until 2028 at the earliest. The second-generation Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, with production originally planned for 2020.