By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Autonomous delivery robots prompted both policy questions and comic relief at the Coral Gables City Commission meeting on Aug. 26. Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson opened the discussion with a photo of one such robot inching along a narrow city sidewalk. “A picture’s worth a thousand words,” she told colleagues. “When we’re designing projects, this is why we need wider sidewalks — so we don’t have pedestrians, people with disabilities, or strollers pushed into the street.”

Commissioners question sidewalk safety and blocked crosswalks

Commissioner Melissa Castro nicknamed the machine “Wall-E,” after the Pixar film robot, drawing laughs from the dais. Commissioner Richard Lara said he had been waiting “big time all day” for this item, underscoring the curiosity these robots have generated since arriving in Coral Gables. Anderson described one encounter near LeJeune Road where a pedestrian lost balance trying to avoid the device. She also pointed to robots idling in crosswalks, blinking lights on, while waiting for delivery orders. “Maybe we need to make corrals like we did for scooters,” she said, suggesting designated spaces to keep them out of pedestrian lanes.

Humor punctuates questions about policing the machines

Lara asked what would happen if a powered wheelchair and a robot met head-on. “It would be a standoff,” Anderson replied, explaining that the robots simply stop in place when obstructed. The exchange led to questions about how police would respond. “We’ve had no accidents,” Police Chief Ed Hudak told commissioners, adding with a grin, “unless we hired like C-3PO to walk on the streets and police it, I really don’t know how else we would deal with R2-D2.”

The humor continued when Castro asked if “little people” were driving the robots. Hudak’s startled response — “Drive? Small people. What?” — drew laughter, before Castro clarified she meant remote operators. City Attorney Cristina Suárez confirmed that under Florida law, a human must indeed operate the robots remotely whenever they travel on sidewalks or crosswalks. Hudak admitted his own encounter was less than flattering: “Apparently you’re much better looking than I am,” he told Anderson. “Because when I looked at it, it turned around and went the other way.”

Past scooter debates offer lessons for regulating robots

Behind the jokes lies a serious issue. Coral Gables has long wrestled with how new technologies fit into its streetscape. A few years ago, commissioners faced similar debates over scooter-sharing services, ultimately restricting their use in certain areas to protect pedestrians. The sidewalk robots, smaller but slower, raise parallel questions about safety, accessibility, and where the machines should be allowed to park or idle between deliveries.

Other U.S. cities have confronted the same problem. San Francisco temporarily banned delivery robots from sidewalks in 2017 before creating a limited permitting program. Washington, D.C., set rules requiring the devices to yield to pedestrians and capped their operating speeds. Miami-Dade has also seen pilot programs, though on wider sidewalks than many in Coral Gables. By comparison, the Gables’ Mediterranean-style streets and older infrastructure leave less room for experimentation.

City to explore restrictions on narrow sidewalks and parking

For now, Coral Gables police report no complaints of collisions or injuries, but city leaders want to get ahead of the issue. Hudak said he would consult with other Florida police chiefs about best practices, while Anderson emphasized that design standards must anticipate the future. “This is why we need to think ahead,” she said, holding up the photo of the robot.

The robots may look like characters from animated films, but their presence raises practical questions about who has the right of way on sidewalks already crowded with scooters, cyclists, and pedestrians. As businesses explore new ways to deliver food and goods, commissioners will need to decide where technology fits in a city that prides itself on both walkability and charm.

For now, Coral Gables residents can expect to see more of these rolling couriers around town. And while the commission’s banter kept the conversation light, its conclusion was clear: the city will study regulations to make sure robots serve convenience without forcing people off the sidewalk.