Florida HB 7027 — Autonomous Vehicles (Operation Without Human Operator)
Florida · Ch. 2016-181, Laws of Fla.; Fla. Stat. §§ 316.85, 316.86
Florida became one of the first states to allow fully driverless autonomous vehicles on public roads. HB 7027 removed the prior requirement that a licensed driver be present in the vehicle and built on Florida's 2012 AV testing law, paving the way for the 2019 'driverless deployment' law (HB 311) that explicitly authorizes AVs with no human driver.
Technical detail
Ch. 2016-181, Laws of Fla. (HB 7027); amended Fla. Stat. §§ 316.85, 316.86. HB 311 (Ch. 2019-101) followed to explicitly authorize AVs to operate without a human present and assigned liability to the automated driving system's owner/operator.
Who is protected: Florida motorists and pedestrians sharing roads with driverless AVs
Who must comply: AV manufacturers and operators on Florida public roads
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Florida |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Limited protection |
| Effective date | 2016-04-04 |
| Enacted | 2016-04-04 |
| Citation | Ch. 2016-181, Laws of Fla.; Fla. Stat. §§ 316.85, 316.86 |
| Enforced by | Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles |
| Private right of action | No — agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Traffic and motor-vehicle code penalties |
| Topics | government use of AI · consumer protection · automated decision-making |
| Last verified | 2026-06-17 |
| Official source | Florida Senate — HB 7027 (2016) ↗ |
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