ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Picking up food in downtown St. Petersburg and potentially other parts of the city could soon be a job for robots.
St. Pete City Council voted on Thursday to take a deeper look into the pros and cons of bringing in autonomous robots to deliver food.
“We did actually have a company approach the city two years ago to do this; they completed all the documents, proof of insurance, and was supposed to start and for some reason did not,” Councilwoman Figgs-Sanders said during Thursday’s council meeting.
Councilwoman Figgs-Sanders was the one to bring the concept back for discussion. She believes it could help with issues like parking and help small businesses.
The robots are already being used in other cities around the country, including Miami. St. Pete residents who talked to 8 On Your Side were torn about the idea.
“It would probably add to some of the chaos, but it would be also some convenience added for people,” St. Pete resident Lindsay Pipas explained.
“They should not be on the sidewalk,” Pete resident Steve Barrett said. “There’s not congestion on the sidewalk because it is. We don’t need any more. So yeah, I’m dead no on that.”
Mark Ferguson is the owner of Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill in St. Petersburg. Ferguson believes the robots could add revenue to his business while also giving visitors a unique experience.
“Every time a tourist sees something different and tells everybody about so that safety you saw this year,” Ferguson said. “So, I’m looking forward to seeing it happen here in St. Pete.”
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