Florida SB 1258: Managed Care Plan Performance

Bill Text

1258 
Delivery of Commercial Goods by Autonomous Vehicles 
2026-01-06T11:15:52Z 
Prohibiting the use of an autonomous vehicle to deliver commercial goods directly to a residence or business for use or retail sale unless a licensed human operator is physically present in the autonomous vehicle; requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to submit to the Legislature a report evaluating the use of certain autonomous vehicle technology and its impacts on public safety and employment in the transportation sector by a certain date, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1258 

 By Senator Davis 

 5-01077-26 20261258__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to delivery of commercial goods by 
 3 autonomous vehicles; amending s. 316.85, F.S.; 
 4 prohibiting the use of an autonomous vehicle to 
 5 deliver commercial goods directly to a residence or 
 6 business for use or retail sale unless a licensed 
 7 human operator is physically present in the autonomous 
 8 vehicle; requiring the Department of Highway Safety 
 9 and Motor Vehicles to submit to the Legislature a 
 10 report evaluating the use of certain autonomous 
 11 vehicle technology and its impacts on public safety 
 12 and employment in the transportation sector by a 
 13 certain date; providing requirements for the report; 
 14 requiring the department to consult with certain 
 15 entities and independent experts in preparing the 
 16 report; providing an effective date. 
 17 
 18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 19 
 20 Section 1. Present subsection (6) of section 316.85, 
 21 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (7), 
 22 respectively, and a new subsection (6) is added to that section, 
 23 to read: 
 24 316.85 Autonomous vehicles; operation; compliance with 
 25 traffic and motor vehicle laws; testing.— 
 26 (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, an 
 27 autonomous vehicle may not be used to deliver commercial goods 
 28 directly to a residence or business for use or retail sale 
 29 unless a licensed human operator is physically present in the 
 30 autonomous vehicle. 
 31 Section 2. (1) By January 1, 2031, or 5 years after the 
 32 commencement of any use of autonomous vehicles to deliver 
 33 commercial goods directly to a residence or business for use or 
 34 retail sale, whichever occurs later, the Department of Highway 
 35 Safety and Motor Vehicles shall submit to the President of the 
 36 Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report 
 37 evaluating the use of such autonomous vehicle technology and its 
 38 impact on public safety and employment in the transportation 
 39 sector. 
 40 (2) The report must include all of the following: 
 41 (a) A summary of disengagements of autonomous vehicle 
 42 technology, related vehicle crashes, and any other information 
 43 the department deems relevant. 
 44 (b) A recommendation on whether the Legislature should 
 45 remove, amend, or maintain the requirement in s. 316.85(6), 
 46 Florida Statutes, that licensed human operators be physically 
 47 present in autonomous vehicles used to deliver commercial goods 
 48 directly to a residence or business for use or retail sale. 
 49 (3) In preparing the report under subsection (2), the 
 50 department shall consult with all of the following: 
 51 (a) The Florida Highway Patrol regarding traffic impacts, 
 52 driver and passenger safety risks, and impacts on other 
 53 motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. 
 54 (b) The Department of Commerce regarding job-related 
 55 impacts, including any worker displacement and shortcomings in 
 56 retraining opportunities. 
 57 (c) The Department of Transportation regarding 
 58 infrastructure impacts, deficiencies, and needs. 
 59 (d) Independent experts regarding the performance of 
 60 autonomous vehicle technology, public safety impacts, and any 
 61 other relevant factors in considering the deployment of such 
 62 technology. 
 63 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.