Florida received $198 million from the Biden administration's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to build out federally funded public fast chargers across the state. Now it wants to spend that money on infrastructure for electric air taxis instead, according to a new investigation by the Miami Herald.
These aircraft, known as electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs, would form what the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is calling an Aerial Highway Network. The agency says the network would complement the state's existing transportation system and could help ease congestion and improve connectivity. But eVTOLs are still in an early stage of development and haven't been commercially deployed as air taxis anywhere in the U.S. Joby Aviation, one of the frontrunners in the space and backed by Delta Air Lines, ran week-long test flights in New York City this April.
FDOT's plan calls for charging infrastructure that could recharge eVTOLs at 32 "vertiports," where the vehicles take off from and land, according to documents obtained by the Herald. Each site would cost roughly $5.6 million. They'd go up in places like luxury apartment buildings, golf courses, military bases, and airports.
"The Florida Department of Transportation will not waste taxpayer dollars and spend it on everyday passenger vehicles," a document laying out FDOT's NEVI funding plans that was published by the Herald reads. "Instead, FDOT’s proposal for implementing the NEVI Program takes an innovative and strategic approach to offer the greatest benefits to Floridians by supporting a new emerging mode of transportation that provides passenger service and fulfills the transportation needs in our state."
The state's justification for skipping EV chargers is that private companies have already built out much of America's public fast-charging network. That's certainly true to an extent. The bulk of the country's chargers have come from the likes of Tesla, Electrify America, and ChargePoint among others. Newer entrants like Ionna and Walmart are further accelerating that growth. The state noted in the document that the number of EV charging ports in Florida has doubled in the last four years, and that it has 452 fast-charging stations.
But that doesn't make NEVI funding redundant. The federal program was designed to fill gaps that private companies can sometimes overlook, such as rural communities where charging stations may not turn quick profits.
In New York, for example, some Evolve NY public fast-charging stations were built using NEVI-funds and have propped up in rural parts of the state where charging had long been sparse. I roadtrip often in Upstate New York, and these Evolve NY chargers have been a lifesaver. I've come across fast and reliable Evolve NY stations in the middle of the Adirondacks and in the Finger Lakes, areas that used to be charging deserts a few years ago.
While many other states have long started awarding their allocated NEVI funds to contractors and charging companies to fill critical gaps in America’s energy infrastructure, Florida largely left its share of the funds untouched, per the report. Under NEVI, once states fulfill their obligations to build out chargers along highways, they can redirect leftover funds to other charging needs. the Federal Highway Administration has reviewed Florida's infrastructure along major corridors and approved it as fully built out, the Herald notes.
NEVI’s rollout was slow to start, but it eventually picked up pace. States initially faced lengthy federal approval processes, strict reliability requirements, and eventually local sourcing rules that delayed construction nationwide. But by last year, projects had begun accelerating across much of the country as states moved from planning to deployment.
Florida, meanwhile, became one of the most vocal critics of federal EV policies. State leaders frequently portrayed EVs as part of a political agenda, falsely claiming that Americans were being forced to buy EVs.
The FDOT even built a website, RoadsAreNotForPolitics.com, that labels pro-EV policies as "greenhouse gaslighting." One section asks, "Why would the government be so insistent on getting rid of one of the greatest inventions like the combustion engine?"
Yet the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that cleaner vehicle emissions standards would prevent roughly 40,000 premature deaths and tens of thousands of hospitalizations over time by reducing transportation-related air pollution. There’s also broad evidence pointing towards EVs being more wallet-friendly for buyers over the period of their ownership, and far more insulated from geopolitical shocks and fluctuating oil prices. They’re also faster, smoother, and more high-tech than gas cars.
Despite the state's political rhetoric, Florida has become America's second largest EV market. It ranks second only to California in total EVs registered, with well over 450,000 as of 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Those drivers stand to benefit from a larger, more reliable fast-charging network. Instead, Florida wants to spend federal EV infrastructure dollars on technology that has yet to receive any FAA certification for commercial operations. And based on the proposed locations such as luxury apartment complexes and golf courses, the early beneficiaries of these eVTOLs could likely be a relatively small and wealthy segment of the population rather than everyday Floridians.
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
