This Florida expansion follows a string of recent launches in Miami earlier this month, alongside Dallas and Houston entries back in April. The company debuted the service in Austin last year, steadily building a presence across major Southern hubs. The timing coincides with broader industry pressure, as the federal government investigates how driverless fleets manage to impede or ignore first responders during critical incidents.

Tesla continues to lean on its internal safety metrics to counter mounting regulatory skepticism. The company claims its Full Self-Driving software achieves a collision rate significantly lower than human drivers, citing a figure of 1.6 million miles between minor incidents compared to the national average of 220,000 miles. Competition remains fierce, with rival Waymo recently announcing its own plans to bring driverless vehicles to Tampa, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Denver.