St. Pete Council Explores Autonomous Delivery Robots

ST. PETERSBURG — The St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously Sept. 17 to investigate integrating autonomous food delivery services. The initiative could bring small robots to city sidewalks to deliver meals and goods.

Council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders proposed the measure after experiencing a similar service during a trip. She believes the technology offers advantages for residents and local businesses.

“When I was traveling, I experienced one of the autonomous food delivery services,” Figgs-Sanders said. “It was so interesting and I thought, ‘Why can’t we do something like that?’”

Figgs-Sanders highlighted growing parking challenges in St. Petersburg, particularly along Central Avenue and near Tropicana Field. Autonomous delivery robots could reduce this pressure. She also suggested that fewer car deliveries would decrease the city’s carbon footprint and boost economic opportunities for downtown restaurants recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent hurricanes.

“It would also increase the economic impact for our smaller businesses, especially our restaurants that are downtown,” she said. “It would definitely increase the opportunities for our small businesses to outreach their services.”

Figgs-Sanders acknowledged potential drawbacks, including robots obstructing sidewalks and the risk of theft, despite security measures for delivery compartments. The council’s approval sends the proposal to the Public Services and Infrastructure Committee, or another relevant body, for further discussion.

Figgs-Sanders aims for a thorough examination of how the city can encourage and regulate these services, seeking input from colleagues and city officials from the transportation and legal departments.

Autonomous delivery operates in Florida. Coco Robotics and DoorDash expanded their partnership in Miami in November 2025. Serve Robotics launched its Uber Eats service in Fort Lauderdale the following month, also operating in Miami. Serve Robotics also has services in Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, partnering with companies like 7-Eleven and Delivery Hero.

“I think that it is something that will be doable and definitely acceptable for our city,” Figgs-Sanders concluded. “I just think it would be a wonderful opportunity for us to explore.”