State Rep. Daisy Morales Tours BEEP’s Autonomous Vehicle Headquarters
State Rep. Daisy Morales (right) speaks with BEEP Chief Marketing Officer Racquel Asa during the grand opening of BEEP's world headquarters in Lake Nona Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – BEEP executives, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Tavistock Development, and Lake Nona Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the new BEEP world headquarters in Lake Nona, southeast of Orlando.
State Rep. Daisy Morales (D-Orlando) also attended the ceremony and toured the BEEP facility in which two state projects are funded by the Florida Department of Transportation utilizing autonomous shuttles in its existing transit network.
In September 2019, BEEP shuttles were first launched in Lake Nona and this new headquarters serves as a first-of-its-kind command center to monitor and manage their autonomous shuttle fleets locally, statewide and nationally.
Rep. Morales Co-Sponsored House Bill 1289 on Autonomous Vehicles
The legislation, sponsored by State Rep. Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota) and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, authorizes:
- operation of low-speed autonomous delivery vehicle on certain streets & roads
- operation of low-speed autonomous delivery vehicle on streets or roads with posted speed limit of up to 45 miles per hour under specified conditions
- provides requirements for low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles
- provides certain fully autonomous vehicles are not subject to certain provisions of law or regulations.
The autonomous vehicle legislation further requires low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles to be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, taillamps, reflex reflectors, and vehicle identification numbers. The bill also requires such vehicles to be covered by an automobile insurance policy. It allows counties and municipalities to prohibit low-speed vehicles on any road under its jurisdiction if necessary in the interest of public safety.
“Florida has already opened the door to new technology and innovation,” said State Rep Morales after touring BEEP’s world headquarters in Lake Nona. “Driverless vehicles operating in Lake Nona, is another step towards a self-driving future and Florida is ready to lead,” Morales expressed.