Tesla's autonomous Robotaxi service went live on Thursday, July 3, in a 14-square-mile zone across parts of the Miami metro area, bringing driverless vehicles to streets that appear to reach the edges of Coral Gables. It is the company's first market outside Texas.

Five days later, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison issued a directive on Wednesday, July 8, demanding all autonomous vehicle developers address what he called "a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders." Morrison cited robotaxis driving into active emergency scenes, blocking ambulances and fire trucks, and failing to respond to flashing lights, flares, smoke, and traffic cones.

"Every second matters when law enforcement officers, firefighters, or paramedics are answering a call because lives are on the line," Morrison wrote. "That is why human drivers who impede these operations are subject to fines and even jail time."

AV developers, including Tesla, have until the end of July 2026 to present solutions to the agency.

The exact boundaries of the Miami Robotaxi zone remain disputed. Automotive World reported the geofenced area runs from the Palmetto Expressway south to US-41 but excludes "most of Coral Gables." Multiple social media posts from July 3, including one from Miami-area content creator Joel Franco, described the service area as covering "parts of Doral, Sweetwater, Miami, Coral Gables." Based on the described boundaries, the zone appears to include only the northern or western fringes of the city.

Tesla's fleet uses Model Y vehicles running its Full Self-Driving software. Automotive World reported the company logged 14 crashes with U.S. regulators in Austin between its June 2025 launch there and mid-January 2026, a rate the outlet calculated at roughly one incident per 57,000 miles. That is approximately four times worse than Tesla's own benchmark for an average human driver. The unsupervised Austin fleet has since shrunk from about 25 vehicles to roughly 14, with wait times routinely exceeding 15 minutes.

Waymo and Amazon's Zoox already operate autonomous ride-hailing services in Miami, having launched in January and April 2026. Both are also subject to the NHTSA directive.

A Tesla-focused account on X, Sawyer Merritt, posted on Wednesday, July 1, that Coral Gables Fire personnel participated in a specialized training session with Tesla before the launch, focusing on safety systems and emergency response. The Coral Gables Fire Department has not publicly confirmed the training or released details about what it covered.

Residents who witness a traffic incident involving an autonomous vehicle should call 911.