Jeff Brandes’ Vision to Make Florida’s Roads Intelligent
In the above interview, Jeff Brandes, the former Florida State Senator and current President of the Florida Policy Project provides his view on autonomy and the latest developments seen at CES, where this interview was filmed. Brandes has spent his career looking for the “Big Idea” in every area of public policy, and right now, his focus is squarely on the traffic signals that keep us idling.
The Insurance Advantage: A Track Record of Success #
To understand Brandes’ current push for intelligent infrastructure, you have to look at his track record with autonomous vehicle (AV) regulation. In previous Viodi interviews—at the 2022 SmartDrivingCars Summit and our 2021 deep dive—Brandes laid out a pragmatic “light-touch” philosophy: Let insurance be the regulator.
By setting high minimum insurance requirements (like the $1M liability threshold in his 2019 legislation), Brandes allowed the market to manage risk. He argued that insurance companies—fundamentally data-driven and risk-averse—would become the ultimate “gatekeepers” of safety, naturally rewarding safer technology with lower premiums.
This week, that theory received its ultimate validation. Lemonade, the digital insurance disruptor, announced a landmark “Autonomous Car Insurance” partnership that offers a 50% rate reduction for Tesla owners specifically when Full Self-Driving (FSD) is engaged. By accessing second-by-second telemetry via the Tesla API, Lemonade is doing exactly what Brandes predicted: using real-world performance data to bypass complicated government mandates. When the technology proves safer, the financial incentives follow, accelerating adoption through the power of the market.
The 30-Year-Old Traffic Signal Problem #
While the vehicles are getting smarter, the ground beneath them is lagging. The Florida Policy Project’s new report, Best Practices for Signalized Intersection Investments, highlights a shocking inefficiency.
Currently, many traffic signals across the U.S. operate on “pre-timed” patterns designed 30 or more years ago. To update these patterns, cities typically pay $5,000 per study to get a static “snapshot” of traffic. Because these studies are expensive, they aren’t done often.
As the study notes:
“These fixed signals typically have one pattern for peak times and another for off-peak… leading to prolonged delays on the minor legs, affecting user experience and equitable access.”
Essentially, if you live on a side street, you are paying a “time tax” to a 1990s computer program.
The Intelligent Solution: CS/HB 157 #
Brandes describes the move toward Adaptive Signal Control Technology (ASCT) as the necessary evolution of our roads. Instead of $5,000 static snapshots, these systems use real-time data to adjust timing on the fly.
The timing is critical: this week, the Florida Legislature is advancing CS/HB 543. The bill establishes the Next-generation Traffic Signal Modernization Program, an initiative Brandes and the Florida Policy Project have championed. The program provides a dedicated $20 million annual appropriation from the State Transportation Trust Fund to help local governments transition to open, interconnected systems that enable real-time traffic optimization.
Specifically, the proposed law mandates (line 522)
“The purpose of the 524 program is to assist counties and municipalities in upgrading 525 eligible signalized intersections with artificial intelligence/machine learning-enabled detection, controllers, communications, and software that prioritizes modernization in key corridors across this state.”
For a veteran like Brandes, who led military convoys in Iraq, this isn’t just about convenience—it’s about the logical evolution of safety. If Florida can successfully modernize its signaling infrastructure through this new program, as it did with autonomous vehicle legislation, it will once again serve as the national “sandbox” for the mobility revolution.
[Note, the above text was directed and edited by the author, but the first draft was written by Google’s Gemini].
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